


Under the Veil

by Fjeril



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-01-15 16:04:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12324294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fjeril/pseuds/Fjeril
Summary: Sorey is back from purifying Maotelus and the world. Mikleo has changed, maybe just a little too much.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What was my actual first fic in English has finally been completed and is being posted, wooh!   
> Rating and tags might be subject to changes as I post the chapters, so please check those.  
> Please keep in mind this story is entirely based on the game's story, not the anime one. And Enjoy!  
> I would like to thank Eydol, as always, who's suffered yet another of my works and supported me until the very end!

When Mikleo fell, not only did he see the seemingly-bottomless pit under his feet, but he also remembered _that_ particular event of his life. For a second, he tought he was just being punished for what he had just done. And then, he remembered: if he was to be punished, it hadn't happened yet.

The time that took to think about all this was short enough for someone to take his hand, and prevent him to fall in the pit. As his gaze discovered who was behind it, Mikleo's eyes widened, and he smiled. _And this is my punishment,_ he told himself.

As soon as he was on the ground, he threw himself on the man - oh, wait, there was something different about him... Had he turned into a seraph?! - so his long lost friend couldn't see the the small _taint_ in his eyes.

He hated himself right now, but he was so happy Sorey was back that he didn't care anymore. Yet, instead of saying something like "Welcome back", or "I missed you", the only thing that came to his mind was "I'm sorry". He was holding him close, so close it almost hurt - the times they fused together flashed before his eyes, he could even feel it in his whole essence - but it was alright. He probably needed to feel pain. He needed anything, right now, to remind him that he was still alive, that he wasn't dreaming, that it was the Shepherd's body against his, right now.

"What are you saying," the brunette gently laughed, his arms surrounding the seraph's body, making him shiver though the weather was hot.

He felt even worse.

The last thing Sorey knew probably was the moment he fell asleep, just after Mikleo and the other seraphim left him alone with Maotelus. That hurt even more.

"How long has it been?"

The water seraph suddenly started feeling cold: he found out Sorey had detached himself from his body, just enough to look at his face, cupping it in the palms of his hands.

"You look so much older," the Shepherd said softly, "I-I mean, not like an old man, but your face looks a little less round, and there's this wiser look in your eyes, and..."

Sorey interrupted himself, as if stunned by something.

"You're even more beautiful than before."

That was a whisper, and for a second, Mikleo even thought he had dreamt the words. But the look on his friend's face told him he has heard right. And that moment, the seraph could hear and feel his heart tear apart. Somehow, he was glad things had turned out the way they did. He was glad he could hear the warm voice of the one he had lived so many things with. He was glad he could feel his body once again. Well, of course, he'd have been happier in other circumstances, and thinking about the future only made the pain in his head more intense. He placed a hand on his forehead, his mouth twitching. Before Sorey could ask anything, he straightened his body, and moved his lips to turn them into a smile. He couldn't see his friends wide, glittering with enthusiasm green eyes, though - there were lots of large black points before his own eyes.

He started to get used to it, though this time, he'd rather not have them obscuring his sight. Not right now. Not when the sun had started to rise. So, he closed his eyes, breathed - it felt like he had forgotten how to do it for a second - and opened them again. The black dots had disappeared, letting him see the wonderful, lively emeralds that were watching him with a fondness he knew all too well.

Realizing he had never answered Sorey's question, he tried to count the years that passed while the Shepherd was asleep - there were a lot, and lately, he had stopped counting: it was more depressing than anything. For a long time, though, he had done his best to keep track of time. Until...

A sad smile appeared on his lips. What would Sorey say when he would see what the world had become?

"It's been many centuries. Probably even a millennium. I think the humans celebrated year two thousand something. I've been on a trip for a few years, so I kind of forgot," he smiled, before adding: "sorry."

He looked at his own limbs, still tangled with Sorey's, and detached himself from the former human. He got up, helping his friend in doing so, though Sorey's face seemed stuck in a surprised expression, his lips forming a perfect "o".

"I... didn't know I'd been sleeping for so long.

\- Well, you've always been quite the sleeper," the water seraph laughed, dusting his clothes.

It was as if they never had been separated at all. As if they had seen each other the day before, and his heart beat louder at the idea. So loud it hurt, actually; he knew what was happening, so once again, he felt the need to take a deep breath. _Calm down_ , he was telling himself. _Stay calm, so it will be slower_. The changes were still there, though, but he did his best to try and ignore them, for now. He had more important things to think about, for now. So he did his best to focus on the said important thing.

"You look almost the same as before," he noted, "Almost."

The smile drawn on his lips found its reflection on Sorey's, and the brunette replied immediately:

"Almost?"

Just to tease his friend, he looked at him from head to toe.

"Yeah. Almost.

\- That's because you grew up a little," Sorey joked, his laughter even louder when a hand hit his head.

"Maybe, actually," finally agreed Mikleo, before correcting himself: "But you do look more adult, too. I guess you experienced things only you could."

He looked at the temple around him, trying to remember the way out. So many things had happened in a matter of seconds, and he wasn't sure himself was completely here.

"I guess your «welcome back» couldn't be better than some ruin exploration, could it?"

The smile curving the Shepherd's lips answered him even before his voice did. In a few seconds, it would be as large as half his face.

"It's even better than that, because you're here, too! Let's explore them before leaving! ...Ah, I don't have any material, though."

It didn't take more than a few seconds for Mikleo to take an empty notebook and a pencil out of the bag he was carrying, and gave them to his long-time friend. Before he could even feel it, the objects had left his hands, and were being held dear against the other man's chest.

"Let's go, Mikleo! We have so many things to see, let's not lose any more time!"

The childish expression on Sorey's face made him laugh, and he couldn't do anything but agree. They never had enough time - and now, they might have even less of it than what Sorey thought.

_I'm sorry_ , Mikleo thought once again.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The exploration took long enough, since they had to stop in every room to take notes about the architectures, decorations, the different styles, and to copy the murals. When they saw the light of the day again, a few days had passed, and the beautiful weather that had greeted Mikleo when he had entered the temple had been replaced by the rain. The water seraph smiled, and walked under the rain with great pleasure, feeling with glee the raindrops on his face, his clothes, his hands. He closed his eyes, forgetting everything that was happening around him. It felt like he was being purified, without the painful process, though. If only the rain could purify him, for real...

After a few seconds of only hearing the sound of the downpour, and caring only about it, he felt a hand on his arm, taking him back to real life. The way Sorey looked at him... The Shepherd seemed worried, but Mikleo tried to reassure him with a smile.

"Welcome to my world," he whispered, so low he even doubted Sorey could hear him.

Though no vocal answer was given, two arms surrounded his body, and soon enough, he found himself comfortably snuggled against his friend's body. Sorey's clothes weren't as soaked as his - yet - and at first, the contact was strange. He shivered as his torso was pressed against his own soaked clothes, but the strong arms enveloping his body felt like home. He wanted to fall asleep, right here, right now.

Or for the time to stop.

But, he knew it way too well, time never stopped its course. Be it for the best, or the worst.

He knew that, eventually, Sorey would losen his embrace, but he didn't want to think about it. So, for now, he just listened to the heartbeat of the new seraph. Somehow, hundreds, thousands of memories came back to him. Somehow, he felt like he was home. Like he didn't need anything more. The rain didn't even seem to be there anymore, or at least as anything less than a part of himself. In a way, Mikleo could feel himself pouring all over Sorey and him, land on the grass, crash on the rocks. And it was fantastic. For a second, it was like he had turned into his element. Worries, and pain seemed to have left him. Actually, that was what should have been: Sorey was back to his sides, after spending so many years purifying Maotelus and the world.

Feeling a little better, and ignoring the pain in his left arm, the water seraph gently detached himself from his friend.

"We've spend enough time here, haven't we?"

Sorey nodded, before answering:

"Time doesn't matter anymore, though, does it?"

The words hit him right in the face. _Oh yes it does_. The white-haired seraph kept that piece of information for himelf, and agreed. Time didn't matter to seraphim. Time shouldn't matter. Rain did, though, and soon, Mikleo started sneezing. Water being his element didn't protect him from getting sick, even after hundreds of years.

"I guess we should find a shelter, for now. I haven't seen what's around here, so..."

The water seraph looked at his friend, jaded.

"Wait. You came here, you rescued me at the _exact_ right moment, and you haven't seen what was around this gigantic place?"

It felt like not even a second had happened since the last time they saw each other - except that his hair were now sticking to his face - when Sorey tried to remember his coming back, a few days ago. He still had the same old expression, where he placed his hand on his chin, the other resting on his arm, eyebrows lifted. He knew that face by heart, even centuries later.

"Actually, I don't exactly remember what happened after I woke up. I'm not even sure my physical body was already here. I just... Knew I had to hurry, that you were in danger. That's weird... I mean, lots of people are in danger every day, I guess, and... I don't know. I didn't think. I just wanted to find you, and save you."

_If only you came sooner..._

But Sorey couldn't have come sooner, and Mikleo knew it. He did his best not to think about all that happened before Sorey came back, and smiled.

"And you did. The gap was so deep my body might not have been able to take it. But you know, Sorey, right now, what my body might not take is how strong the rain is. Yours might not, either. You _do_ know that Seraphim can catch colds, and that it's no fun, so please, let's just find an inn or an hostel for the night.

\- Hahaha... Right, let's go," the former Shepherd finally accepted, "I'll follow the lead.

\- Then, sir, en route to Avalon. I'm sure you'll love it at first sight, it's an old, old city, its citizens say. Something around a thousand and eight hundred years, or two thousand years, depending on who you listen to," he commented, doing his best to hide his excitement.

He had always been containing himself so he could be able to watch over his old friend, and didn't know how to be otherwise anymore... Yet, somehow, Sorey probably didn't need it anymore. Not like he'd stop anytime soon, though.

When they finally reached the town, the rain wasn't as thick as before. To his sides, Mikleo felt his friend was getting a litle tense. The world had changed a lot. Towns were wider, inhabited by more and more people, and lots of kind of machines had appeared.

But the most important thing, the most important evolution of humanity, from the water seraph's point of view, was yet to be discovered by the brunette.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, once again! ♥


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what kind of civilization do you expect Sorey & Mikleo to meet ~ ?

The walk back to any kind of civilization felt very long, under the rain, with both of them soaked wet. Thankfully, the town was near enough not to need any vehicle - that would probably be way too much for Sorey, considering the last vehicle he had seen was Rose's merchandise chariot... As always, when they reached the town, Mikleo lifted his eyes towards the gigantic buildings humans had recently created. Luckily, they were far enough from that side of the town, but their shadow still reigned on the old city.

"That's impressive," he heard, the Shepherd's voice so soft he thought he had dreamt. "What are those giant towers ?"

Mikleo smiled, trying to watch them the way someone who had last lived hundreds of years ago would see them - and failed. He couldn't help but see the normality of the buildings, and think about the people who lived or worked there.

"Some of these are homes, you know. They're like..."

He searched his words. He needed to explain what an appartment was. To a man who had missed about a millenium of innovations.

"They're like small - well, some are big - houses, placed on top of each other.

\- On top of each other? I don't really understand..."

Looking for a better explanation, Mikleo finally shook his head.

"It's alright, you'll understand very soon. For now, we need a hostel to spend the night - and dry our clothes."

He looked around him, tried to remember how he had found the place he had stayed at before going to the temple. The buildings, around there, looked all the same to him, though, and he had to think hard before finding his way. Plus, he had to drag Sorey with him: the brunette was staring at the walls, and though Mikleo understood his feeling, he was looking forward to finding a shelter and changing his clothes. Thus, even though he had a real weight on his shoulder, he still managed to hurry to the nearest hostel. All soaked, the water seraph tried his best to arrange himself a little, and walked towards the reception. But that moment, his long-time friend beat him to the desk, telling him :

"I'm taking care of it. And don't worry, I'll manage to get a room for two."

Watching him so eager to be the one asking for the room, a jaded Mikleo looked at his friend from head to toe. He knew exactly what the reason was, and the former Shepherd would understand his mistake in a minute.

"...You _do_ know that you've become a seraph, too, right?"

The brunette stopped. Obviously - not that Mikleo had even doubted his friend would have forgotten that point - Sorey wasn't used to his new condition yet.

"Ah... But how are we supposed to do?"

Behind his sky blue locks, Mikleo smiled fondly. He had missed that idiot. Without a word, he walked towards the person at the reception, and asked for a room for two, for the night. Placing the right mount of galds on the counter, he then took the keys to their room, before returning next to Sorey.

"Our room is on the fifth floor, so we have to take the warp. Or the lift, if you want to admire the town while we're going up, but it's slower."

He already knew the answer, though. None of this was new to Sorey - except the fact he could _admire the town from a lift_. Before he could even understand how his friend had moved so fast, Mikleo found himself dragged in the lift. The new seraph was far from being an idiot (well, except sometimes, according to the water seraph), and he needed no explanation before pushing the «5» button. A second later, Sorey seemed to be four years old again, his hands on the pane, his voice now only emitting appreciative sounds.

"This town is awesome... Mikleo, I want to explore it all! I'm sure there are lots of secrets people go by everyday without knowing it! Let's go!"

The gaze that met his was so impatient that he had to remind himself to stay calm and not push the «1» button of the lift to drag the brunette through the town and show him all the wonders in it - his body did well on that job. He sneezed, just before the doors opened.

"We'll, go, Sorey, but - later. Now let's just rest, take a shower, and dry our clothes."

Both of them walked through the corridor, and until their room. There, Sorey stopped, seemingly surprised.

"Wait. Wait, Mikleo.

\- What is it?

\- Wait. Did you just rent a room? Did you just talk to a _human_ , as if it was the most common thing?"

There was surprise, excitment, and hope in his friend's voice, and all of that made the older seraph happy.

"You're only realizing it? Sorey. This is all thanks to you. Seraph and humans - we've been able to communicate as equals for centuries."

He opened the door, and as soon as he was in the room, started to get rid of his cloak. Once half naked, he turned towards Sorey, waiting for him to come in and close the door. The other seraph seemed lost in his thoughs, and didn't move a finger.

"Sorey ?"

Suddenly, it was as if he had shaken something in the brunette's mind. Sorey finally joined him in the room, closing the door behind him, before getting rid of his own clothes. As Mikleo placed their clothes in the drying machine, he could feel his friend's gaze all around the room. Oh, right, there were plenty of things he didn't know about, in this room only.

"What is this? And that? And, and that thing? What happens if I push that... Button?"

Instead of answering, and because Sorey was on the verge of starting the kettle witout any water in it, the blue-haired seraph pulled some large clothes out of his bag and threw them on Sorey's face.

"Gramps told you not to touch things you don't know if you're not sure they're not dangerous, remember?"

Laughing, he turned around. While the former shepherd changed, he took a look at his own body. The changes had already started. They were still very light, though, and even him could barely dinstinct the shapes that had started forming under his skin. He knew Sorey would be aware of them way sooner that he wished, so he'd do his best to hide them, for now. Even if that implied avoiding some of their usual, natural even, ways of touching. He closed his eyes, but instead of putting new clothes on, went to the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower. Get some rest, or admire the town, I don't know, but please, don't leave the room, I don't wanna search the whole town to find you. It won't be fun if we're not together."

Mikleo tried to keep his voice as natural as usual, but somehow, something sounded wrong in it. He just hoped Sorey wouldn't have noticed it, when he stepped into the shower.

The warm drops of water, very different from the rain, earlier, felt weird, on his body. It was awesome, and at the same time, it was as if drops of acid rained on his body. The shower was reminding him of his lie, of what was happening, while feeling like home, the exact way it was supposed to be.

Mikleo soon found himself sitting. What an idiot he was - he wouldn't be able to hide it forever, right? There was a day when Sorey would discover it, in a way or another. It was already too late, after all. One day or another, it would be too visible to even try hiding it.

_I should tell him._

Tears strolling down his face, Mikleo took a decision. He was too old to even be in this position, in a shower. Damn, he wasn't a teenager anymore. He breathed deeply, washed his body quickly, before changing into new, dry clothes, and leaving the bathroom. _Okay. Time to tell the truth._

"Sorey, I...

\- The rain has stopped! Can we go, now, before the sun sets?"

Sparkling green eyes met his, way too close. He couldn't breathe - his best friend's face was still as gorgeous as it had always been, and Mikleo _might_ have had forgotten that point in the thousands of years he had spent seperated from him.

_Oh fuck._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably wrote the f word way too many times in this story, oops. Should I change the tags because of the language?
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, next chapter is up next week!   
> (Also don't worry, they get longer at some point)


	4. Chapter 4

They spent the whole afternoon walking around the center of the town. Mikleo did his best so they stayed in the pedestrian only parts, but he soon would have to introduce Sorey to cars. And buses. And planes.

Yet, keeping Sorey interested in the architecture of the center was easy : Avalon's original buildings were well preserved, and though the world had changed, the city was still even older than Edna, some parts were even created three or four thousand years before - of course, now, they were touristic attractions, but Mikleo, as well as other seraphim from that region, had made sure strict rules were observed by every visitor. A local seraph had chosen the place as his domain, and was protecting it from the degradations of time, and from potential attacks.

Of course, Mikleo had taken Sorey there first thing after they left the hostel: it was the most interesting part, of course, and starting from that point, they could then go forward in time, until the latest buildings.

When the sun had set, they had finished with most of the town's history, and Mikleo had had enough time to talk to his friend about these weird machines people had started using to move around towns. They moved thanks to some kind of collaboration between human technology and seraphic artes, and could go really fast - it had changed most of the humans' way of living.

It was kind of weird, having Sorey watch the cars just going on their way, for long, long minutes. After all, the water seraph was used to this view, but he friend had never even imagined that kind of creation. And his eyes were wide open, his mouth forming a perfect "o" as he watched the vehicles on the road.

Suddenly, the loud voice he liked to hear so much startled him.

"Mikleo! I want one of those, too!

\- I knew it," the blue-haired seraph sighed.

Sparkling green eyes were staring at the cars. Though they were quite rare because you could find warps to any destination, people loved to watch the scenery while traveling. And as he had guessed it when they first appeared, Sorey was going to become a big fan of them...

"Sorey... I know cars are fascinating, but please, could we go and eat something? I'm hungry right now."

Actually, it wasn't really hunger - Seraphim bodies were still different from human ones and didn't need food - but more like his body saying it was time to eat, according to his old habits.

"...Are you sure? I... Don't feel any hunger," the brunette said, placing his hands on his own belly. "That's weird, actually. I mean, food! That's like, the best thing that exists! How have you managed so long without feeling the need to eat? Mikleo, is this how you've been living all along?"

The look on his childhood friend was so devastated that Mikleo couldn't help laughing. So loud, so hard, because Sorey's face was priceless - and _oh, how he had missed it_. When he finally managed to speak again, he did his best to explain:

"Actually, I might not understand what you're feeling, because no, that's not exactly what happened. Just in case you forgot, we grew up together. I guess everyone's effort to make you feel at ease kind of... Made me used to food? I don't know... I talked about it with Lailah, but she had a hard time being clear on that point. You know her, after all."

An apologizing smile answered him. Of course, Sorey knew how Lailah tended to be, especially when she didn't want to tell the truth about things immediately.

"Maybe you've got a human part," Sorey joked, hitting his friend's flank with his elbow.

"Or maybe I'd just got a human," the shorter one replied, before leaving the place.

He had no worries about the other one following him, though.

He knew Sorey would never leave his side. Somehow, it was written, in his mind, at least. Mikleo was unable to even consider there were different options. And, soon enough, he found he had been right all along. There were two reasons in particular for him to be this confident: the first one was food. Even though his dearest friend's body had changed, there was absolutely _no way_ for him to turn away from food. It was Sorey he was talking about, after all. And the second one was that, well, _Sorey was Sorey_. Their shared feelings had and would probably never change. They had a dream that had been waiting for both of them, and, well, it wouldn't be able to wait too long anymore. Somehow, even though the whole world had been changed, either thanks to Sorey's doing, or the humans and seraphims' evolution, some things remained the same. And some abnormalities were still possible. Mikleo tried not to think too much about it: how would he even manage to hide it if he spent so much time thinking about it?

Stopping for a second, he watched Sorey just standing by his side. He hadn't been able to look at him like that for an eternity, to admire the candid emerald eyes that seemed fond of everything they placed their gaze upon, that square jaw and tanned skin, the strong muscles of the former Shepherd's shoulders - every inch of Sorey was the complete opposite of what himself was. And he liked that so much he wondered how he had stood all these years without them by his side.

No comforting presence. No warm voice to naively ask some things, or tell him with glee about what he had found. The mere thought of the solitude he had been through, the realization of how much he had missed his old friend - that was too much. Way too much. His body and mind both seemed to hate and reject the idea, and the water seraph's throat suddenly ached. He was out of breath - or, more honestly, unable to breathe. His ears were filled by many sounds he couldn't understand, and his blurry vision turned into pitch black.

And then, all white. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what happened to Mikleo ~
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you next week☆


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, this is the day you're free from last week's cliffhanger ~

He could hear some noises around him. Calm ones. He could guess water being poured down something - probably a boiler, if he heared well. The sound was soothing, and he closed his eyes so he could listen to it.

Mikleo was unable to remember anything. What had happened? Why was he there? What was he doing in the first place...? The only thing that managed to came back was that it suddenly was dark, in his mind. Dark, and noisy.

Around him, the water seraph could hear soft moves. Some water was boiling, and after a few seconds, the typical noise of the button popping to indicate the temperature was perfect. Sorey was probably preparing tea, and that was a great idea. The blue-haired seraph sat in the bed, looking all around. He could see Sorey consciously brewing tea, so concentrated that he wouldn't even notice an earthquake. Not wanting to disrupt him, Mikleo remained silent, observing the measured moves of his friend. That was a thing he had always liked doing: just watching Sorey be, observing the so very slight changes in his expression, the way his eyes and nose wrinkled when he needed to be precise, the difference of his frown when he was concentrated and when he had doubt about something. The almost imperciptible shudder of his hand when he tried to restrain from being too excited about something. 

And right now, the brunette was obviously trying his best, but sometimes, just sometimes, he had weird moves, as if some of the simplest things were a real hardship for him.

_I guess his body feels numb..._

He took a look at himself, and unbuttoned his clothes. He needed to see. He needed to know.

When suddenly, as he was getting rid of his shirt, he could feel a new weight on the bed. His gestures stopped, and he let his hands rest on the sheets.

"How do you feel?

\- What happened?"

His throat was sore and he felt dizzy, but still anchored his gaze in the other one's. He knew that expression, the one saying he didn't want to admit something wrong had happened. But Sorey wouldn't get away with it, not that day.

"I don't really know, it was... So weird. Suddenly, out of nowhere, you were shouting, hands on your ears, and it was like you couldn't see anything anymore. I tried talking to you, and helping you come back to reality, but nothing worked. Mikleo, did-...

\- So that explains the sore throat," he interrupted immediately.

The water seraph lowered his gaze, not daring to look at his friend. Sorey had probably understood already, but he didn't want to have that discussion, not right now.

"...Mikleo. It's okay. But even if you don't want to talk about something, don't just keep it for yourself. You know what could happen."

_Oh yes, I know it all too well_.

He looked through the window, watching a bird fly by, then dared placing his gaze upon Sorey again.

"...Did you bring me back here all alone?

\- Of course! I didn't remember you were so light, I had no problem carrying you back here, I was so surprised! I-I mean, you've never been heavy, but somehow, you were even... Lighter? Light as a feather."

A smile appeared on Mikleo's face. Light as a feather...

"That's the moment you're supposed to say «this body's awesome!».

\- It is! It really is, it's light and I can feel a great energy circulating in me. And," Sorey seemed to search his words, "I don't feel any hunger, or sleepyness, or any body condition at all... That's the weird part. Sometimes, I don't know if I've made a movement or not, because I can't feel my own weight, so I can't measure my moves. It's..."

Mikleo tried to understand what was happening in Sorey's head. His speech wasn't clear, and that was something he had never witnessed before.

"Are you uncomfortable with it?"

Sorey seemed surprised, or should he say, startled by the question. Had he put the finger on something? Somehow, he wanted to keep talking about it - Sorey probably didn't fully understand what his own problem was, and he couldn't stay here and observe.

"Maybe..."

The former shepherd was obviously lost in his thoughts, probably trying to re-organize all the mess that was his head - added to the fact the world he came back to was completely different from the one he left, and that he didn't even know about this part of the world, before he went to sleep. Mikleo wanted to guide him, though he could only try and imagine Sorey's feelings about all this.

"Take your time. You can solve one problem at a time. Actually, I thought your body was stiff from not moving, but you were just being clumsy, then."

He took a long breath, and anchored a jaded look into Sorey's eyes.

"That's _so_ you. If you ever had any worry about being yourself because of your change of nature, you can stop worrying, that is definitely my good old Sorey, right next to me."

An apologizing smile answered him, before he felt himself pulled towards his friends body. Embracing him, Mikleo wanted to stop thinking. He could smell the all too familiar perfume, feel the way too comforting presence. The same things he had never realized he had missed so much, the same memories that had him lose his mind earlier in the day. For a second, he panicked, and struggled to escape the embrace, but the brunette didn't move an inch.

_Breathe. Calm down. Everything is going to be alright._

"I'm sorry," the Shephered muttered. "I'm sorry you felt so lonely. You did your best during all that time, and I'm back, now. It's okay. You can rest."

He tried to assimilate that. To remind himself how people could be cured if they were willing to be, when he was young.

How he didn't want to be cured, because he needed a reminder for what he had done.

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your reactions, comments and kudos are really encouraging ♥ So I really really want to thank you all for them!


	6. Chapter 6

Standing in front of both of them, Edna watched both of them from head to toe. She walked slowly around them, tapping her umbrella in the palm of her left hand.

"You don't look like a fake... But there's something bothering me."

Mikleo didn't have the time to ask what it was, that huge walls grew all around the three of them. Okay, he didn't need explanations anymore. On his guards, the water seraph was ready not to miss a hit. He was worried for Sorey, too. The new seraph hadn't fought even once since he came back, and his moves still weren't precise enough. They did have some trainings, out of the town and far from people's eyes. But that fight's level was way higher than their trainings.

"I hope you're ready, because I'm not making it easy for you guys."

The second after, the earth seraph had vanished into the air. Mikleo couldn't find her before rocks fell on his chest, shoulders, and legs. One even missed his head by an inch.

_She's serious... I can't let her hurt Sorey. He won't be able to fight back..._

Back to his usual self, Mikleo casted a long - but efficient - arte. He hoped, but knew he would fail, that he would be able to protect his childhood friend in time.

Sorey did his best to avoid all the rocks - the largest ones, at least - but still got hurt before the ice shield was put in place. As soon as the spell was put in place, on the other side, Edna's fist appeared. The smaller seraph was determined, and apparently frustrated.

"Meebo, get out of the way."

There was no way he'd move, and she'd have to understand that. She probably already did, actually. But that didn't stop her from attacking, and he had to stay focused in order to resist the attack.

"He's not ready for it, Edna!"

The shield started crackling under the small seraph's fist. He wouldn't be able to maintain it for more than a few seconds.

"He has to be. He's not a child, Meebo, and if he's reborn as a seraph, he can protect himself!"

Shattered ice fell on the ground, not less dangerous than the rock rain that had been falling a second earlier. Mikleo clenched his fist: she was right, but the idea of leaving his old friend in danger was unbearable. He stayed still for a moment, trying to judge what would be the best, before he noted Edna running towards Sorey, her umbrella pointed at him.

_What am I even wondering..._

As fast as possible, he created a bubble of water around the former Shepherd, allowing him to move without being seen. He had worked on the spell, and was now able to maintain it for several minutes. It didn't need to last that long, though, but it would allow him to get back on track.

"You should know I'm not leaving Sorey's side! You'll have to find another way!"

Saying that, he casted quick, repetitive water spells aimed at the shorter seraph, to make her lose stability. Unfortunately, the older one was also faster, and prevented every of his attacks to even touch her, raising rock walls every time he shot. The thing was, Mikleo wasn't the only person Edna was fighting, and as soon as she raised the last wall, Sorey appeared right in front of her, his unsheathed sword hitting her and throwing her on the ground.

Upset, the blond girl stomped on the ground even before she was on her feet again. She seemed very decided to fight back, and to get what she wanted. Unfortunately for her, the combined artes of the former shepherd and his former sub-lord were quite efficient against all her tries. Until...

Suddenly, the earth seraph turned towards the water lord, a malicious smile on her lips. Directing her attack towards him, she took the time to pass by his side. It was enough to startle Mikleo, though he hadn't expected what was following.

"Oh, there _is_ another way I could use... But I guess you haven't told him yet, have you?"

The younger clenched his fists. She had won the round: there was no way he was telling Sorey, unless he found a way to heal himself. But that would be quite hard...

"Oh, and that would be too cruel for both of you, I'm not that kind of person. I'll just attack his precious water seraph, I hope you don't mind."

A second later, his perception of the world around him was completely shaken. Before he even understood what was happening, he felt pain in his right shoulder, and suddenly, nothing seemed to be important anymore, as the woman started casting a new spell.

It took him what seemed to last an hour before his mind achieved to formulate a thought. At least, he did understand one thing, right now.

"I can't let her hurt him," he managed to say, though it was so silent he probably was the only one who heard it.

Moving his body, he did his best to go and stop the other one's attack. She was shouting things he couldn't fully understand. That didn't matter. He had one thing to do. Even if he wasn't able to cast a spell at the right speed, that didn't matter. He just couldn't let her keep on attacking.

He did his best to cast his spell - even the easiest one, it was the only one he could remember right now.

"Sur..."

He coughed, tried again. Better luck next time, he hoped. And he did hope really hard, because he wouldn't be able to keep like this for long.

"Surging...

\- Photon!"

Oh. ...What?! His vision blurry, Mikleo turned towards his friend. A large ball of light had appeared, way too close for the water seraph to remain completely calm, and it was obviously going to explode in a few seconds. His feet decided to make an effort and go backwards, but apparently liked the rocks they had met on the way and decided to dance with them. Unfortunately, his body wasn't quite aware of that - or not exactly okay with that starting relationship, because it violently fell on the ground, his head aware enough to avoid that pointy little rock that could have hurt quite badly. The flash of light, followed by the sound of an explosion, indicated that he had somehow managed to avoid the danger - just not the way he had expected it. Nice.

...Was Sorey a seraph of light?! That would be the first time he met such an element. Of course, water, earth, wind and fire were common elements, and both of them had known the lightning seraphim that were Gramps and Kyme. They even had known a dark type seraph. But... Light?

"Mikleo, are you alright?"

He could hear the distant voice of the former shepherd, and tried to say something. But his own voice was so low that even himself couldn't hear what he had answered. That was probably a bad sign. Sighing, he muttered the usual formula to himself.

"Resilient aid!"

Though he was almost knocked out, the arte helped him feel better, and healed the small wounds. A good night of sleep would probably be a great help to help him cast better healing spell, but right now, too much had happened in a too short time. Now sitting, his brain had managed to process that the fight was over: Edna had had what she wanted. Next time, he'd remember not to enrage her. (Actually, he thought that exact sentence every time they fought, but never seemed to remember his lesson). Sorey was squatting, next to him, while their friend turned her back to them. Even half knocked out, he could feel her satisfaction in her attitude.

"How do you feel?"

Turning towards the brunette, Mikleo took a look at himself. He didn't exactly know how he felt, but that wasn't the first time. Unlike someone else, he was able to hide his weaknesses.

"I'm alright," he answered in a neutral tone, actually checking if all his bones were in place and if he hadn't missed any wound.

He had expected Sorey to act as usual, and to just wait for him to get on his feet, but he was greeted by an un-amused look.

"Yeah, right, you _do_ look alright. With you face all wounded, and you being barely able to move. And I'm not mentioning the deeper cuts on your arms and legs.

\- Are you going to make a list of everything that are not «alright» with him? 'Cause if you do, don't forget that he's...

\- That is none of your concern, little miss, so would you please keep your mouth shut!"

The earth seraph smiled widely: she knew she had won that one.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how many of you were expecting this? (Probably 100% if you know me to some extent www)  
> Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

The large stone had been engraved. With a name, and two separated dates, from really different eras. The former shepherd looked at the stone, praying for Edna's fallen big brother. Mikleo saluted him, too, but there was something else bothering him.

He knew what had happened to Eizen. He knew how it had worked. How it had happened. He even had seen it right before his eyes, on a battleground. Placing a hand on his own heart, he tried not to focus on that point, and to be _there_ , with the other two. Somehow, even though they hadn't met for a long time - even Edna and himself hadn't met much these last centuries - the trio just felt good being all together. Travelling to Rayfalke had only felt like it was the most natural thing.

"Some things seem to have changed, but this place is still the same, huh..."

Sorey seemed to like that, and Mikleo told himself that it could be a good thing to have some places unchanged. But their friend had another point of view.

"It's not. The mountain has changed. It's more luxurious than before, and dragons have been replaced with birds and other animals. Malevolence has disappeared, and the whole place understood it. It looks... Happy.

\- Is that why you were away?" Mikleo teased, in a joking tone, "Because it wasn't gloomy enough for you?"

The earth seraph rolled her eyes as if he had said something stupid, and responded without an hesitation:

"No, it was to get away from some idiot water seraph, but these are kind of persistant, if you want my opinion. Apparently, they can stay alive and carry on their dreams for more than a thousand year, just because their shepherd-who-never-officialy-became-their-boyfriend best friend is sleeping in the heart of the earth to try and turn mister-the-biggest-and-nastiest-dragon-ever-seen-on-this-land back to his original self. By the way, I can't see him with you, what happened?"

Oh, so she was able to talk for _that_ long, without letting anyone else talk? Damn, he'd never thought that possible. But the question she was raising was interesting: why had Sorey come back all alone? Why wasn't he with Maotelus? He'd have loved to meet the famous lord, and asked a lot of questions.

"Actually... Maotelus said he had a lot of work to do, himself. Moreover, both of us... Just knew I had to go find you alone."

Sparkling green eyes were now anchored into his. He wasn't quite sure what to think about all of this. He didn't even know if Sorey had been conscious in some sort of way. He probably did, though, since he had been purifying Maotelus. But, just how much was he conscious about the world around him?

"I mean... We didn't talk. We didn't need to talk."

The sentence made the water seraph cringe, but he did his best to stay calm. Seriously, why had he changed to _that_ point? That was the worst.

"I mean, we all know about Maotelus. I'm sure that even now, humans remember Maotelus. He's got to put his domain back in place, and I guess this is going to take some time. And... I made a promise to you. I told you we'd get back to our exploring. I just guess we're gonna have more ruins to explore."

A fond smile formed on Mikleo's lips. Some things didn't change, huh, that was what Sorey himself had said...

"So, he had his own things to do, I had mine. We separated, and, you know what happened next."

The blue-haired seraph looked at the sky. Right, he knew what had happened next... Or so he thought. Now that he was thinking about it, something had bothered him before they had met again.

"Actually... Do I? Before I went to the water temple, I had visited the continent's fire temple. I stayed there for three days, but during those three days, it felt like someone was following me. I never met that someone, and I haven't met any hellion, not even the smallest animal. Maybe a mouse or two and a few spiders, but the presence had nothing to do with them. Sorey... Were you following me?"

The former shepherd chuckled blankly, with that tone that said "busted!". Playing with his bangs, he took some time to answer:

"Well, uhm... Kinda. I was... Nervous."

Unable to understand how that could even be possible, Mikleo checked if he had heard well:

"Nervous? Seriously?"

The fingers leaved the front bangs alone to play with some long, brown locks.

"You know, I did go past a lot of things to find you. Enough to know that the sole minute I was asleep had actually been several centuries. What would be your reaction about it? How would you feel about me coming back suddenly? How was I suppose to arrive and tell you: «Hey, long time no see! My sleep with the dragon is over, care to let me take part in your ruin exploration?»? I felt that anything I'd say would sound stupid or inappropriate."

Before thinking, the water seraph gently punched his friend's shoulder.

"It would probably have been stupid or inappropriate. But that wouldn't have changed anything. I don't care how you came back. I just cared that you came back."

A gentle punch in his ribs answered him, and he replied with tickles. He knew what he had started, and how it would end - or not end. For the first time in a while, he was having real fun again.

As they were getting louder and more imaginative with their tickle-fight techniques, the boys heard a throat clearing, and interrupted themselves to face the proprietor of the voice. And it didn't matter that one of Mikleo's legs was stuck under one of Sorey's. Or that the light serpah was lying on the ground, on his back, one hand gripping the water boy's arm, the other on his waist. Or that one of Mikleo's hands was on Sorey's heart.

"Seriously. Get a room."

Mikleo's eyes turned towards the former shepherd, squinted by amusement.

"I didn't hear what the mean girl said. Did you understand it?

\- Nah, she's speaking a language I don't know. I guess this is how our mother tongue evolved while I was asleep. Glad that you can still speak it, though. That would be inconvenient if you didn't."

Edna stomped on the ground, before turning her back to them.

"It's not like I was glad to meet both of you again, anyway. I guess you can now starting live your life together again, can you."

While both of the childhood friends were getting back on their feet - and silently approaching her - she kept on speaking.

"Whatever. I guess I'm staying here in case some shepherd is in need of an earth seraph to repair some broken bridge."

She was over-dramatizing, and that was hilarious, but the other two remained silent, looking into each other's eyes before they attacked. With a powerful back-hug attack.

"Edna," Sorey's frank voice said. "Thank you for everything back then, and thank you for everything right now."

Her shoulder trembled, but she did as if nothing had happened.

"That was nothing. I don't need you to thank me anyway. But in case you need someone to accompany you guys one day, well, you know where to find one.

\- Thank you, Edna," Mikleo added.

She'd know he was sincere. Even though they usually fought, when he said things like that, Mikleo was always sincere, and Edna knew it.

"And you!" she replied, turning towards him. "Remember what you told me while we were fighting! Remember that clearly! And do what you must do, because if you don't, I'll come back and do it in your place, and you won't like it at all!"

Knowing she was right didn't change the fact that such a sermon wasn't like her at all. Actually, it reminded him of someone else, but the younger seraph wasn't able to remember who. He had known lots of humans in his life, and lots of them had left memories, but this one... This one, he knew he was supposed to remember of.

"Haha, were you trying to imitate Rose? That sounded so much like her!" the light seraph laughed heartily.

_Oh. Right. Rose. ...I'd like to have her by my sides right now, she could probably help me if she was there..._

He closed his eyes, smiling, before placing his arm on the brown-haired seraph's shoulder.

"So, where should we go next? I heard there was a ceremony of the Sacred Sword in a few days in Ladylake, but we could just go back to Elysia, if you prefer. Or try to find the wind jerk, but I don't know where he is right now."

The last part seemed to resonate in Edna's ears, and she lifted her head.

"Oh, _that_ jerk? I might happen to know about his whereabouts."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! See you next week, with the wind jerk ~


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WIND JERK TIME!

The group walked to the nearest warp, letting Edna choose the destination. Mikleo expected some retired land, or some tropical island, but what appeared around them was the way too familiar capital of Rolance. The center was still the same, though being restored these years, because the buildings were getting too old. Some of them had been detroyed by time or wars, but the most important ones were still up, and the castle was now open for visits.

It was a detour from their way home, but the seraphim had decided to take it anyway. Even though Sorey had expressed the wish to come home with him, he also was impatient to meet everyone again - and Mikleo had prepared himself: the percentage of chances for them to stop by Ladylake before they went home was so high he didn't bother thinking about going home now.

Meeting with Zaveid was something he had learned to appreciate. At first, neither of them was too fond of the other; or, should he say, they had troubles understanding each other. But, during Sorey's sleep, they had talked together. A lot. Miklo had learnt that Sorey's sleep reminded Zaveid of the loss of his friend. In a happier way, somehow, but still. And the younger seraph had listened to him and his words. He had learnt about all the difficulties Zaveid had been through. About why he acted like that, and why he would keep on that way. They talked about that feeling of loneliness, and how to fight it. The wind seraph had helped way more than he thought, and since the day people had started seeing seraphim again, had helped them the best way he could. They had lost contact, though, long ago, and he didn't even remember how or why. It just happened. It was a little bit before he started his journey, he thought, or maybe way before that.

But even after all those events, Mikleo had kept calling him names, and if the older ever talked about him, chances were that he still called him ridiculous and childish nicknames. The water seraph let out a loud growl at that thought, that wasn't going to be unnoticed. Edna didn't show any sign or hearing it, though, but it didn't mean she didn't, she was probably keeping that in mind for the right moment, when she could humiliate him. He growled louder.

"Is there something wrong?"

That was so Sorey-ish that Mikleo had expected it at least as much as he expected the smaller seraph to bully him anytime.

"Nah, I was just thinking about the old man, and wondering if he could still walk on his legs, or if he needed something to help him stand up.

\- That's too much consideration, you know. Just think about how old and wrinkled he might look by now. And how we could tell people that we've known him when he was still young and handsome, and had all the girls at his feet..."

As Sorey described his image of Zaveid's current look, Mikleo couldn't help laughing. It was childish and ridiculous, but it was perfect. Except on one point:

"Zaveid never got a single girl at his feet," he corrected, "none of them would ever let him have that."

Proving that she was listening to their conversation, Edna seemed to feel the need for them to get it right:

"Actually, there is one. Well, not actually at his feet - she'd _never_ let such a thing happen, but she _did_ agree on a human type of contract."

Suddenly, the blonde girl stopped walking, only letting out an almost inaudible "...Oh."

She turned towards both of them, a mischevious smile on her lips.

"I wasn't supposed to talk about it yet."

...Wait. Wait, what had she been talking about? Who was she talking about? What contract was it about? Had a new Shepherd been found without him hearing about it? No, the Ceremony of the Sacred Flame only started in a week or so, and they were supposed to go and see Lailah there.

"What? What are you talking about, Edna?

\- Oh," the seemingly young lady turned her umbrella in her hands, "you'll see. I just hope you won't be too shocked."

The men looked at each other in the eyes, before shrugging. It was probably something important, if they referred to the way she talked about it. But honestly, right now, they weren't able to figure it out, and decided to let it be for now. They'd know the truth in time, after all.

"So, where are we going, exactly? I _do_ recognize this place, but I don't think he's become a tour guide, has he?"

The sigh that answered him gave him his answer. Of course, there was no way he'd even try to get such a job. He probably wasn't even able to remember when he was born.

"Of _course_ he isn't. But you still might be surprised."

The old street they were walking on ended, opening on a large place. An immense building, built about a hundred years before, was there, just before their eyes.

"It's an hospital," the older seraph precised. "And yes, he does work here. In some kind of way."

The inside was impressive: silent people, noises everywhere, more signs than Sorey might have ever seen. Without even bothering to go to the reception desk, Edna guided them through the corridors, leading them to a large garden. People were sitting there, in wheelchairs or on benches, or sometimes even on the ground.

From behind a tree, the water seraph could see long, white hair with green on the length. Next to the silhouette, a young man was speaking. Malevolence wasn't there anymore, but the look on his face easily replaced the suffocating feeling they used to have when they met people in his case. When the yound man stopped talking, a familiar, deep voice answered him.

Mikleo felt his heart squeeze: he could see himself, hundreds of years ago, in that man's position. It had helped a lot. Maybe not enough, in his case. But his case was very particular, after all.

"You were wrong, Edna."

The woman turned towards him, quite surprised.

"What are you talking about, Meebo?"

Smiling with confidence, Mikleo walked towards the wind seraph.

"I'm not surprised. Not the least."

She adressed him a weird look, but he didn't care. When he was sure the moment was right, he sitted next to older spirit. He kept an eye on the other two, and when the human had left, finally saluted his old friend.

"Hey. How have you been doing?

\- Miki-boy!" Zaveid roared, barely leaving him enough time to remind his elder not to call him that. "Absolutely fine! Couldn't say the same for you, I see."

Before he even got a grip of how what had been said could affect any further dialogue, a weird grin twisted his face.

"Well, that's not something that's supposed to be brought up today. Actually, except the tiny psychopath, I came with a certain someone. I don't know if you really want to meet him, but he was eager to meet you again."

For a few seconds, Zaveid seemed to be trying to guess who he was supposed to want to meet, but before it came to some conclusion, Mikleo called the former shepherd to his sides. Edna decided to sit with them, too, probably just to see the wind seraph's reaction.

And his body reacted before his voice did. He stood up, and roared from surprise - louder than before.

"Sorey?!"

He turned around the newly born light seraph, looking at him under every angle, as if not believing what he was seeing.

"Seriously, you're back with us?! That's awesome!"

The wind jerk seemed not to have changed the least, yet Mikleo couldn't help noticing that he looked calmer than before.

"I guess some people here definitely needed something like that," he added, probably just to make the water seraph want to cut his throat with anything he could find. "Well, are you ready to become the new Maotelus?"

Sorey's eyes widened. He probably hadn't thought about that point, even after so many years spent with the seraph lord. To be completely honest, Mikleo hadn't really thought about it, either. Well, he had discussed a lot with Isiah about the Five Great Seraphim, but he never made the link between these stories and Sorey.

"Haha," the wind seraph laughed, "Not quite yet, huh. I guess he isn't yet, either. That's okay, all of eternity awaits us, I guess. So... You could find a way to occupy it."

The former shepherd's face went from white, to normal, to white again, before brightening up, and his voice was way too enthusiastic when he answered.

"I already have found the way! Now that I am back, I can keep my promise to Mikleo and explore ruins all around the world with him! I can't wait," he said happily.

The water seraph knew that, if the former human could, he'd have already dragged him far away from here - and to be honest, Mikleo would have followed him with more glee than he'd ever admit. But his childhood friend seemed to have decided to meet all of the seraphim that had accompagnied him on the way, and Mikleo agreed with that: informing them of his coming back was important, and informing their family back in Elysia was, too. The ruins had waited for hundreds of years, they could wait a little more.

"Why am I not even surprised..."

Zaveid seemed completely blase. That was predictible, indeed, but would Glennwood be okay with a lord that would constantly be travelling? To Sorey, this didn't seem to matter - for now, but he would probably ponder about it after he'd met everyone again.

"So, how long are you staying here?

\- I'd go right away, if I could," the earth seraph muttered, just loud and clear enough for his brother's friend to understand it.

"What is it, Edna, don't you like the place?" he replied, apparently quite annoyed.

"Oh, it's not the place I don't like. It's the people who resort here that I can't get accustomed with," she corrected, opening her umbrella before facing back. "Actually, I could leave. I'm not going to miss the Ceremony of the Sacred Flame, anyway, so whatever you and the lady have to say, I'll be there to learn the good news~!"

This said, the seraph left the place, smirking. She was proud of her little effect, and it did work... At first sight.

"Heh, you can't deny she's his sister."

The wind seraph seemed pretty proud himself, as if Edna was his own little sister. So, even after all these years, he was still keeping his promise to Eizen... Sometimes, Zaveid was impressive. Sometimes.

"What about the two of you?"

Mikleo got out of his reflections, looking all around himself. Right, how long would they stay here? Sorey didn't want to go home before having at least visited Lailah, and he wanted to do that the day of the ceremony. And... He could use a little time speaking with Zaveid.

"I don't know," the water seraph started, "I guess we could stay around here until, let's say, two or three days before the cer-

\- I wanna go to Lastonbell in the meantime!

\- ...Let's say five or six, and we'll spend a few days in Lastonbell, then..."

Sorey happily celebrated his little victory, before flopping on Mikleo's back, his arms embracing the former sub-lord. He seemed so happy, so peaceful that Mikleo only felt a little more guilty. To try and think about something else, he placed his hands on the former shepherd's, and smiled. Without even having to talk or move, he could feel his friend's excitment at the idea of re-discovering the town, visiting the castle and the museum - they had seen a sign about it on their way to the hospital - and see how the city had evolved.

"We need to rent a room for our stay, right now," the brunette stated, "but in case you wanna spend some time with us, Zaveid, we'll be happy to have you, so don't hesitate and contact us!"

Before the water seraph could even protest about that fact, Sorey realised:

"...I don't know about current ways of communications, but I'm sure Mikleo does... Do you?"

_I'd rather not_ , he thought to himself, _but I guess I have no choice..._

"Yes, I do. And mister jerk-in-chief knows how to contact me, don't worry about it. Shall we go, now? It feels like you're going to turn crazy if we don't go and see more of this town. Plus, mister-the-psychologist-seraph probably has a lot of work to do today, right?"

The older one rubbed his neck, clearly a little bit uneasy. And that was logical: they had come at a pretty random time, and even though their friend was happy to meet them, he probably had work.

"Yup, that's right. I'm happy you came here, though, thanks for the news. And if you're ever in need, don't hesitate."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope I wasn't to OOC for Zaveid, and I wonder what's the thing Edna wasn't supposed to talk about?


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was still high in the sky, even after they had visited the museum, and they were planning to take a look around the castle, too. But for now, Mikleo had lead Sorey into a coffee shop so they could enjoy the sunny weather while taking a pause. It was in the court of the castle - what was the entire town at the time they had travelled - and they could see the entry from there. Of course, it was the part that was open to visitors. The former casern was still closed to the public, but they would finally be able to discover what it looked like from the inside. Both of them had pulled a face when they had discovered that the visit was guided and most of the interesting part would be directly revealed to them (it was no fun having everything told when you could learn by yourself and compare it to their books), but still wanted to take a look at it: they hadn't had the chance to go inside when Heldalf was still the lord of calamity.

"It feels weird, don't you think? Being there again, seeing people live and all... But nothing's like it used to be. It's normal, I think. But it seemed like a mere minute to me. Everything is still so fresh in my memory... Tell me, Mikleo. ...Are you mad at me?"

...What? What was in his mind, for Sorey to think that way? Why did he feel that way in the first place?

"Why would I be mad at you?"

The shepherd looked uncomfortable, playing with his fingers, so nervously that he almost spilled his drink on the table.

"Because I left you there. I wasn't here to realize our dream, I disappeared for so many years, and during that time, you had to mourn gramps and all, and...

\- And? Sorey, these are in the past. It _was_ hard, of course. I missed you. I missed gramps. I still miss him, actually. But - it was so long ago... And you were coming back anyway. Looking forward to meeting you again was all that mattered. We are reunited, all I'm hoping, now, is that you're happy in this world."

Sorey's expression looked like he wasn't completely convinced - not like he'd blame his friend for that. Not when despite all his efforts, his whole being remained had been changed, and chances were not only that it was forever, but also that it wasn't over yet. Powerful as he was, the shepherd had probably already realized it. Mikleo just hoped it wasn't the case - yet.

"...Mh. I'll be completely happy, soon," the light seraph replied, "when I find my new place, here. But I have to meet everyone, before that. And spend some quality time with you, of course.

\- Isn't all the time we spend together «quality time»?

\- It is, but you know exactly what I mean when I say that, don't you?"

The look on Sorey's face said it all, in case he hadn't understood, but Mikleo didn't need any of that. Of course, he knew. It was their moments, just the two of them together, not doing anything particular. Just being together was enough for them. He nodded, and drank his white mocha.

"I do have a fear, though. That you get overwhelmed by all of this. It can definitely get too much for you, and whenever that happens, we're going back to Elysia immediately."

His friend had a faint laughter, and pawed his cheek. At least, that reaction hadn't changed, huh. Though it used to irritate the seraph, seeing it now made him smile. And he had to accept the truth: after so many centuries, it felt like going home. Oh, he hadn't forgotten to live, during all those years, he had done so many things, met so many people, but yet, sitting here with Sorey, just being next to him, let him feel like he was even more alive. It had awaken a constant, quite violent stream of emotions and feelings that had been pushed in the back of his mind as the years were going on; and all of these made the regrets even stronger. For how long would he be able to hide the fact that he woke up every night from his nightmares, that his body was changing, that his skin wasn't as soft as Sorey used to like to remind him every now and then?

"Understood. Nooow...

\- «Can we go visit the castle» ? Alright, let's go!"

If he wasn't so scared by dogs - he had tried to get over his fear, but with little to no success - he'd compared his dearest friend to a happy puppy wagging its tail out of excitment.

Trying to even forget he had wanted to compare his friend to these terrifying beasts of the devil (and at that moment, he felt sorry for comparing Dezel to a devil), Mikleo took the trail, threw the paper cups in the trashcan, and, with Sorey, left the coffee shop to get to the castle.

There, the two men met their guide. He was tall, and his jaw was square, his look very determined, and as much as he seemed severe, he looked like a very lawful man, someone you could trust with anything. And somehow, his face reminded the water seraph of someone. But who...

"Sergei, is that you ?"

Before Mikleo could figure out who this person looked like, the former shepherd was already examining him from every angle. Sergei... Oh, right, _that_ was the name he was looking for! Except that, unfortunately, the knight had been dead for long enough for his body to have completely disappeared - and never had he heard about a seraph looking like him. It was possible that he - or even his brother - had turned into a seraph, but somehow, chances were he'd have heard about it, for he had spent many years in Lastonbell, and people had taken to travelling regularly from one town to another.

"Hum... I'm sorry, sir, but I fear I'm not the person you're thinking about. My name is Cayden, and I will be your guide through the castle. I guess you know at least a little history from our town?

\- Actually, we do, yet our knowledge might be mostly based on the dark ages and the asgard era."

The guide's face changed from confidence to surprise, and from surprise to pure laughter. And, Sorey's guess was clearly founded: he _did_ have the same laugh as their old friend.

"That's quite unusual, people usually know more about the most recent centuries. I'm happy to witness such a thing!"

Once calmed down, Cayden had a very proud look on his face.

"I understand your mistake, now. Well, while I'm not him, I did have an ancestor going by the name of Sergei. He was a great Commander for Pendrago's army. He is said to have met the shepherd, the one that helped our world get rid of malevolence and free Maotelus. Some writings even say he admired that man, and that meeting him was the thing that comforted him into taking the path of the peace between the kingdoms of Highlands and Rolance!"

A hand on his chest, the guide had closed his eyes. Opening them, he watched the two seraphim with an amused look.

"Ah, legends are wonderful."

Not the least impressed by the show Cayden had given, Mikleo whispered to Sorey's ear:

"Should we tell him that it's _not_ a legend?

\- Some things are better left untold," the brunette answered, with a nervous laugh.

The blue-haired seraph nodded, and smiled to the guide.

"What a great introduction that was. Legends _are_ wonderful, indeed, that is why they are legends. Then, which way should we go next?"

The man then leaded them to the entry hall, beginning the guided tour. He retraced the whole history of the town, from the parts the two curious seraphim already knew by heart to the latest events, which neither of the two had witnessed. He talked about all the legends they had missed, some being born in the last centuries, about how the town's worshipping of Maotelus had been reinforced after a mysterious shepherd had appeared and purified the land, about how the architecture had changed as the years went by, about how the government had left the castle and had been established in newer buildings that were more fitted to its changes, how his family had kept on being loyal to its ideals, and how proud he was of his twin brother Kenrick, who was a member of the current parliament.

When the visit ended, Mikleo placed a few pieces of money in the guide's hand, thanking him for the visit and all the informations. Though he had taken some notes, it wasn't the most important: what mattered, right now, was...

"It was awesome!" Sorey almost shouted in his ears. "I can't even imagine so many things happened! That makes so much more mysteries to discover, so much more ruins to explore, and if as many things happened in the other countries of the world, then...

\- We have a lot of exploration to do.

\- But... Didn't you do it without me...?"

The way the two bright green eyes were gazing at him told it all: even though he didn't have regrets taking his decision, he was still worried the world had forgotten him, right? The water seraph closed his eyes, taking an aggravated look. Opening his eyes, he dared confessing:

"Actually... I'm very sorry. But it seemed I had to explore the ruins of Avalon's fire temple all alone."

He waited a couple of seconds, keeping a serious look, for Sorey to answer. But all he got was a simple:

"And?

\- And what?

\- That's it, that's all you explored? In all those years? Seriously, Mikleo, what have you done while I was away? Sub-lord and water seraph! I know I can't wait to explore, but I'm kind of disappointed in you."

The said former sub-lord didn't miss the amusement in the eyes of his friend.

"Oh, sir shepherd, I should be ashamed, to tell the truth, but for my defense, I have spent quite a long time in places we had already visited. Also, mister Sorey needed to be protected while sleeping, so I _did_ spend some time placing a seal, and coming back from time to time to reinforce because humans had discovered something unusual. Moreover, I did some research about Camlaan, Elysia, and the trials. Now, dare telling me I've done nothing."

Turning his back towards him, the brunette seemed to take a look at the signs. The written language had changed quite a bit, and while Mikleo had started teaching him how to read it, it was still difficult for the former human to decipher most of the words, or understand their meaning. So, the blue-haired seraph discreetly approached him, whispering to his ear:

"«Castleview hostel» starts with a «c»," he hinted, letting his friend guide the way.

"I knew it!" the other one claimed, following the sign. "Now, our next stop is the Ceremony of the Sacred Sword!

\- That's next week, though...

\- Yeah, exactly! We should start going now, or we're going to be late!"

Was he joking, or still not used to the newest ways of travelling? Or...

"You really want to walk? Nobody does that anymore for long distance travels, you know. We could just take the warp and be there in, like, a second. Or, at least, we could take the train; that way you get to see the surroundings, and we're there in a few hours."

He really wasn't actually sure he could make it to Ladylake if they chose to walk all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, as usual ♥


	10. Chapter 10

They hadn't stepped in the wagon that Sorey already seemed to enjoy the upcoming travel. He wasn't completely aware of what was going to happen yet, but that didn't matter the least: he was examining what he could observe of the train, and already speculating about what was going to happen, and about how it was done. Mikleo almost had to push him inside so they wouldn't miss the departure, and also, to get rid of the annoyed look on the other passengers' faces. Some of them were quite intrigued with how Sorey was reacting, while others seemed quite amused with his reactions. The water seraph, though, lead him to their seats: he knew exactly what was in his friend's mind, and actually, had been quite excited about talking about all this with him - but not when it was actually causing problems to the other passengers.

So, the second they were in their seats, a light illuminated his eyes as he started:

"Isn't it awesome?! This is a pure, wonderful product of the mix of technology and seraphic arts! Somehow, thanks to gramps' books, and the help from seraphim coming from all over the continent, we managed to create such a vehicle!"

He showed Sorey the large windows that were the upper half of the wagons.

"After centuries of development, it can go up to three hundreds and a half miles per hour in case it's needed, but it usually goes slow enough for passengers to watch the surroundings, since it is what it was made for - we already had warps for centuries before trains were created. But they are made in such a way that, if needed, they can get to their destination as fast as possible, and place everyone in a secure place."

Facing him, the brunette's face went through lots of changes of expression: from surprise to admiration, from eagerness to interrogation.

"What do you mean by «if needed»? Why would the train _need_ to speed up? I mean, it's not like there's any danger out there... Or is there?"

The thoughts were so pure that Mikleo couldn't help feeling a little amused, though he understood why Sorey would think like that. After all, he had said that his sleep had felt barely like two minutes, and when he had left, the latest conflict had been put to an end...

"Sorey... You know, wars did happen while you were asleep, even though Alisha and Sergei did their best at their time. Even if malevolence has completely disappeared, humans still create barriers between them, they create countries, lands, continents. This is a thing you'll never take away from them. And to do that, sometimes, when words aren't enough, they fight."

For a whole minute, Sorey looked thoughtful. His eyes were tainted with frustration, and incomprehension. Mikleo didn't need to hear any word to understand that his best friend didn't like what he had just heard, _at all_ , and that made the water seraph cringe. That was the worst part: showing his friend that everything didn't go as planned. He was ready to tell him the whole truth, but the former Shepherd didn't leave him enough time to do so.

"Did you fight?"

The blue-haired seraph jumped on his seat. What? What was this question?

"Did you fight for one country? Did you fight against humans and take lives?"

The question made him shiver. And from shivering, Mikleo went to shaking. Sorey probably wasn't asking about _that_ at all, was he? Understanding that the chances he was looking even more suspect the way he was acting, Mikleo finally answered:

"I didn't. I'm not taking sides with humans. I observe. I don't judge. I still appreciate or depreciate, but never have I judged or taken sides. Sorey. Don't take me for who I'm not. Years might have went on, and I know I have changed, and I'm not completely the Mikleo you used to know. I'm not the same seraph as I was back then. I went through many things, more than you could imagine right now. But _do not ever doubt me_ on such a point."

He was almost out of breath after saying so, a tad upset that the light seraph had even thought about doubting him, and even more that the said seraph was still frowning. Yet, a large smile illuminated it, in the end.

"Haha, I knew there was no way for you to do so. That would mean-

\- That would mean I'd given up on the dream I promised you to carry on. That would mean I'd given up the purpose of my whole life. Sorey, if I had done so, I wouldn't be there anymore. Do you realize it?"

An apologetic smile was the only answer he managed to get. Sorey probably realized it, actually, but he had to be careful with what he was showing. His friend's resonance had always been stronger than any human's, and if he could feel malevolence as a shepherd, then...

_Oh, just forget it for a while. The more you'll think about it, the worse it'll become._

Closing his eyes, the water seraph placed a hand on his chest, doing his best not to frown when he felt the unusual sharpness of his skin under the fabric of his clothes. He finally took to looking at the environment surrounding them. The sky wasn't completely clear, but it was enough to appreciate the scenery, and observe how the former empty lands had been turned into a fertile place, now used for the local agriculture.      

Around him, the new seraph seemed way more agitated, and Mikleo wondered if he hadn't found a child, actually. The scene made him smile fondly, and, under his hand, his chest felt a little bit more tender than a minute ago. He could slower the process if he wasn't so strict with himself. He also knew that he could still reverse it. It wasn't completely without hope, and he had always known it. Yet, he felt like he deserved it. Like it was the only way for him to find peace, and forgiveness, to redeem from his breaking the most important of promises.

"Hey, that looks like Ladylake's castle!" the shepered noticed, enjoying it way too much (as always).

Mikleo took a look through the window, and couldn't help laughing. Indeed...

"Of course it does. Because it is," he remarked, trying not to laugh when his friends face completely changed.

The large green eyes seemed to get larger, and he pointed out the castle, then the direction they were coming from.

"But-... We were... Just an hour ago?!"

It only made Mikleo actually laugh, even though he was trying not to be too loud about it - Sorey was loud enough for the two of them, actually.

"Yes," he answered, "I told you these were fast. We'll be in the station in around thirty more minutes," he explained, giving details about how it had to slow down when it entered a town, so the tourists could admire the place, accompanied by the commentaries made by the train's team.

As soon as he had finished explaining it all, the train went under a bridge, and they heard a voice telling them about their arriving in Ladylake, commenting about how old the town really was, and what made it so unique.

"This is what I was talking about," the seraph kindly commented, feeling lighter at the thought they were arriving.

He was about to point out that he wasn't sure if they'd talk about the Ceremony of the Sacred Sword, just the second the subject was evoked - _indeed_ , considering how big of an event the Ceremony was. He felt suddenly younger, when the train stopped and the two of them took their luggages, their gazes falling on a picture of the town's famous aqueducts. It was like they were twenty again, like the time they had walked for three days just so they could meet Alisha again and tell her about the danger she was in.

"I wish we could meet her," Sorey's voice whispered next to him, making the water seraph close his eyes.

"Me too," he admitted, not sure about how to feel concerning that point.

He had heard rumours, but nothing really concrete, actually. He knew the others weren't sure about it either, and that, anyway, to this day, the only times he had seen her face again were in the memories that had been haunting him for the last centuries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ♥


	11. Chapter 11

"Mikleo~," Sorey's sing-song voice resonated in the hotel room as soon as they had put their bags on the ground.

The former shepherd earned a sigh as a response, and the seraph had to tell him he needed to do something before they could go anywhere - besides, he wanted to start by going to the Shrinechurch, because he knew it was where they could find the person he was looking for. He _did_ have something to ask her, in particular, and unlike the usual times, this one had nothing to do with Sorey. Now, he could ask those directly, after all.

The thought warmed his heart a little, while he was looking at his dearest friend, who was approaching him dangerously quickly, with that teasing smirk on his lips. He still hadn't given up yet, and he probably wouldn't anyway - but Mikleo has his own reasons why he wanted to start by the Shrinechurch, and not the visit of the town.

"Yes, Sorey," he accepted, trying not to focus his gaze on his friend's lips, "We will visit the town, and all the parts of it you don't know of, yet."

He rolled his eyes at the childish reaction he got, calming down his heart, before adding:

"But first, there's a place I want us to go. One you already know, yes," he insisted when his friend was about to ask the question.

It felt like he could almost read in Sorey's mind, and he had to admit that, even though the brunette and him had always had similar way of thinking - though not all the time, which was why he used to win so often when they visited ruins together, as children - it felt a bit weird. They hadn't met for so long, and so many things had happened since that moment, he had always thought his childhood memories would never come back. It made him smile, for a second, and even hope they could go back to that time, when everything seemed so easy and fun, when they had promised each other they would always stay together. When the reality hadn't hit them in the face.

"Alright," his friend accepted. "I trust you."

It felt like a sword being planted in his chest. _I trust you_. Of course. His friend had always trusted him. He always could have... Almost always. Mikleo shook the thought away from his head, and, smiling, stretched a little, ignoring the stiffness of his joints while doing so.

"Okay, let's go, then," he suggested, turning towards the one he had been waiting for, for so long.

As soon as he got an approval, they left the room, locking it, and walked towards the center of the town. It was more lively than expected, and Mikleo had to admit he felt hundreds of years younger when they walked through the food booths installed in anticipation of the Ceremony of the Sacred Flame, offering the tourists to enjoy the specialties of the city - some were even born after Sorey had fallen asleep, so he chose a few of those. After all, even if, as a seraph, hunger was something his body had forgotten, Sorey would never say no to trying new food, especially if it contained flavors he had never known before.

Besides, knowing Sorey, it would definitely help with meeting who he was leading him to - even though he probably couldn't wait to meet her anyway. Still, he decided it would be better if they took their time, because his friend would want to try all these new flavors no matter what, and for sure, the Shrinechurch could wait a few more minutes, after all. He knew he was a desperate case when he couldn't help the fond smile on his lips while watching Sorey eat and comment about how delicious all of this was.

"I can't believe I've missed all of this food!" he exclaimed. "What a waste for my stomach!"

_I can't believe it_ , Mikleo thought, though he totally _could_ believe it, actually. Somehow, he had just _known_ it.

"Let me turn it into a paradox," he kindly replied: "If you hadn't been sleeping, your stomach wouldn't have been able to know of all this."

Sorey suddenly stopped eating after taking a bite of his snack, watching him with the roundest of eyes as realization hit him. It took him a few seconds before he starting eating again, and admitting:

"That's right! I shall now eat all I can! I've missed on too many things!"

He sounded determined, but his gaze when he looked at Mikleo seemed quite sad, and maybe even a little hurt. He had missed things, yes. Oh how much he had missed. But yet again, wouldn't the former Shepherd have slept, he wouldn't be here to see them anyway. _If he hadn't been sleeping, I guess I wouldn't be here anymore either._ It hurt when he lifted his head up, but he ignored the pain, and just bit into the snack Sorey was offering him.

"Mikleo..."

He _knew_ this voice. He knew what it meant, and he already knew what his friend was about to ask him. But it wasn't the right time to talk about it, was it? He looked away, closed his eyes.

"What is it?" he had done his best for his voice to sound calm and confident, but it was becoming harder and harder.

There was an hesitation, but the smile on Sorey's face just startled him, and he wondered what was going through the light seraph's mind. Even though they often thought the same, sometimes he had a hard time understanding what went through the brunette's mind.

"...You still look as beautiful as ever. And now people can see it. I'm glad."

He blinked a few times, trying to understand the meaning of it. He had been expecting a scold, or a talk about his current condition, not _that_... Oh, whatever. It made him smile anyway, even though he didn't understand where it just came from.

"Why are you telling me that, all of a sudden?"

It was Sorey's turn to be startled.

"Ah! ...I guess I never said it, at the time. You know, when we first came to Ladylake, my first thought was how beautiful you looked in the middle of all those people. And how much of a shame it was that nobody could see it. But now, everybody can, so I'm glad about it."

He felt blood rush to his cheeks, and almost wanted to make his friend shut up instead of saying that kind of things in the middle of the crowd. The fluster he felt forbid him from saying anything in the first place, but when he escaped from it, the only words that came to his mind were:

"There's only you to say that kind of stupid things! Come on, we're awaited!"

He heard a laugh, behind him, and it made his heart warmer. Of course it made him happy to hear these words. Of course it made him _even happier_ that Sorey was the one who said them. But it would have made him even happier if he could have fully enjoyed them. The bitter smile on his lips didn't stop Sorey from taking his hand, and dragging him towards the Shrinechurch:

"You said we were awaited. Let's go, then," he explained, placing a new smile on the water seraph's lips.

In the middle of the crowd, who was barely paying attention to them - at another time, it would have been a miracle, but these days, and especially around the Ceremony of the Sacred Flame, it had become quite common for seraphim to just walk among humans, as if they were just the same - Sorey and Mikleo made their way towards the Shrinechurch of Ladylake. The renovations that had been going on for a few years, now, seemed to have been finished on time, and the place look as good as new. There were, though, very little changes, such as new gravures and statues about the Shepherd that saved the world from the Malevolence, long ago, and was now sleeping in the heart of the Earth.

"Huh?" the brunette seemed intrigued when he saw the «new» decorations. "Is that... I can't determine when it is from," Sorey looked confused, to the water seraph's biggest amusement.

"Of course you can't. You were sleeping. This represents Maotelus and the Shepherd, and it was realized around... Wait, what years is it, already..." He took the time to calculate it, trying not to cringe at the age he had reached. "About nine hundred and seventy-six years ago. It was Alisha who ordered it, from the best of artists she knew at the time," he smiled, remembering his discovery of the gravure.

"Alisha... What did she become?"

Mikleo looked at the light seraph, surprised, even though he should have expected the question. Looking at the gravure, he remembered:

"It took months before she learnt about your sleeping," he explained. "Rose became a Shepherd, to go on and purify hellions; and though I was still placing the seal to protect you, they came to Camlaan, so Alisha could tell you what she had to say.

\- I remember this," the brunette confirmed. "I heard her voice. ...I heard yours, too. A lot."

A sad smile took place on Mikleo's lips. Of course. He had gone there often, at first. He had even refused to come back after placing the seal, spending a long time next to the warm light.

"I know," he whispered. "Anyway... Alisha and Sergei fought with all their strength so their countries agreed to a peace treaty and resolved the conflicts the diplomatic way. After that, they got engaged, then married, and the wedding was a occasion to unify the countries. The ceremony was beautiful... Unique, and witnessed by so many people you couldn't even take a step anywhere," he fondly recalled. "Afterwards, Alisha started teaching all willing children how to use a weapon, but she also taught them how to use them to help and protect people. Sergei and her had a few children, and lived happily ever after, making the Ceremony of the Sacred Flame an important tradition in Ladylake. The End."

He liked the story a lot, because their friends had reached the happiness they had deserved, even though they kept the Shepherd that helped them in their thoughts until the end of their lives, and he was glad for that.

"I see," the said former Shepherd reacted, a happy smile on his lips. "It's great. I wish I could greet them," he admitted.

"Their grave is in the Shrinechurch cemetery. It's not much, but it's the best I have for you," he apologized, not expecting the sparkles in his friend's eyes.

"Really?! That would be awesome!

\- Understood," he accepted. "We have to go through first, so let's make that two birds with one stone."

The brunette blinked a few times, as if he hadn't understood something, and Mikleo hit his forehead when he remembered his childhood friend didn't know the expression.

"It means that we can take advantage of the fact we have to go to the Shrinechuch anyway to go to the grave afterwards," he explained. "We do the two things we want to do on the same occasion.

\- Aaaaah," the new seraph acknowledged with a candid expression, "that's useful, I need to remember it. How did you say it goes, again?

\- The whole expression is to «kill two birds with one stone»," he explained, as his friend was taking notes. "Okay, let's enter, and hope she has time for us.

\- «She»?"

Without any more words, Mikleo dragged his childhood friend into the Shrinechurch they had seen so often, long ago. The place hadn't really changed, except for the benches that had been renewed every once in a while, and the few glass windows that now represented the most well-known scene of the Legend of the Shepherd: Sorey and Maotelus, sleeping next to each other. The subject of these representations still looked flabbergasted at the fact he was now _everywhere_ in the religious spaces, while the water seraph couldn't help being proud of him. That clumsy, still bad with his own weight seraph was the star of all the whole continent's beliefs.

While Sorey was enjoying the view, though, Mikleo looked all around him, smiling when he heard a very familiar voice giving instructions in a corner of the Shrinechurch, to someone who was standing on a ladder, hidden by the huge pennants they were installing for the ceremony. While the brunette was being absorbed by the place he used to know so well, Mikleo took his chance to walk towards the owner of the familiar voice.

"Lailah," the water seraph called, approaching her.

The Lady of the Lake jumped, turning towards him, and joined her hands before her chest.

"Mikleo! What are you doing here?" she asked, with almost too much enthusiasm. "We weren't waiting for you before the Ceremony!"

Instead of answering, he smiled, and gently took her hands to drag her a little further in the Shrinechurch.

"Mikleo?

\- I came a little earlier because I think there is something, or rather someone, you need to see," he explained, still leading her in the building. "Where has he gone..."

Sorey wasn't where he had left him, and the seraph had to think a little bit the Sorey way, just to have an idea of where he could have gone. When he was about to find the answer, the one they were looking for suddenly appeared in front of his eyes:

"Ah, Mikl-... Wait, Lailah?!

\- Sorey?!"

The two seraphs just jumped into each other's arms, and even though the preparations for the Ceremony were suddenly interrupted, the eruption of joy and love in the middle of the place just made the workers smile. While the two were speaking at a speed the water seraph could barely understand, he decided to look around, himself, for he hadn't come inside for a few centuries, already. He tried not to mind the few looks he got from the workers, and walked aimlessly, unconsciously walking towards the place Lailah was just before he brought her towards Sorey.

Something had piqued his interest, there. _Wait, no, not_ something _. It was_ someone _._ Mikleo walked up to the person, only stopped by a weight he had expected heavier, on his shoulders.

"Mikleo!" the usual over-enthusiastic voice called, "Thank you! I'm so happy to meet Lailah again!"

He laughed, tickled his friend's ribs.

"I know," he affirmed. "That's why we just _had_ to come here in advance. But..." he sighed. "Come with me.

\- Huh?"

Without any further word, the water seraph guided him a little farther, right where he had found their friend, who had decided on accompanying them wherever they were going, right now. When he stopped at the bottom of the ladder, just before the pennant, Mikleo frowned.

"Lailah," he called, and to his sides, he saw Sorey turn towards him, eyes wide.

He had understood.

"Lailah, is that...?

\- You should try the cakes from the sweets shop down the aqueducts!" she replied, as fast as possible.

"Lailah, you are not bound by your own pact and you just don't want to tell us the truth, am I right?" the former Shepherd asked, a despaired look on his face.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, before turning towards the person she was helping, a few minutes earlier. "You should step down."

The feminine silhouette stepped down the ladder, in her white and gold clothes, and she seemed a little bit hesitant. Mikleo frowned a little further - was it even possible? He turned towards his childhood friend, who seemed as intrigued as him. They heard someone take a deep breath, before the person stepped all the way down.

As the silhouette was going down, the two friends looked at each other, both in disbelief - Mikleo could even read in Sorey's eyes that he was even surprised by the fact he didn't seem to know more. Lailah seemed a little ashamed, though, and hid her face while the other one appeared. Those curly, blond hair, and those big yet determined, green eyes... _I can't believe it. So, she came back, too...?_

"Alisha...?"

Sorey had been the first to talk, and his voice sounded as if it wasn't right, as if she _shouldn't_ have been there. And actually, he was not completely wrong: there was no reason for the knight to have come back to this world _that late_. Had she come back earlier, as a seraph, he'd have understood, but right now...? _Wait, that might not be it. It could be the same as Cayden, after all._

"Yes... It's me," the woman confirmed, throwing away the reincarnation theory.

The woman seemed agitated as she looked towards her surroundings, and the water seraph's eyes widened: he could feel it, now. She was _actually_ , _really_ back as a seraph. And that was impossible. Incredible. How...

"Sorey, Mikleo, may I?" she asked, as polite as always, waiting for their answer.

The two friends looked at each other, and, with a smile, agreed to whatever the former knight had in mind. A second later, she was hugging them with all her strength, tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Welcome home," she greeted, "both of you."

Mikleo's eyes lowered. _Welcome home_ , huh? _For how long?_ Still, he hugged his friend back, greeting her quietly.

"We're back," the brunette softly answered, before they broke the hug, and the former Shepherd looked at the woman under all angles - for some reason, the older seraph felt a little uncomfortable, but he decided it was because of the _thing_ inside his heart.

What else could it have been anyway? Taking a deep breath, he crossed his legs, placing a hand under his chin, to try and understand how that could even be possible. But whatever he thought of only failed explaining the whole story, so he took a look at Lailah. For some reason, the Lady of the Lake seemed to find the walls very interesting, and inspiring enough for her to hum; enough indications to tell him she wouldn't say a word. _Alright_. He looked at Sorey, who just shrugged, before turning towards Alisha.

"Alisha... I'm glad you're here," he started, a smile on his lips.

_At least he won't be alone when..._

"But I don't understand. How did you manage to come back only now...? I don't mean to sound harmful, but it's the first time I hear about a seraph coming back after hundreds of years," he asked, his head tilting under the dozens of questions that came to his mind.

The woman's mouth formed a perfect «o», and before she said anything, she turned towards the Fire Seraph - who had completely disappeared from the spot she was occupying a second ago, as if she had anticipated the question and ran away from it, the way she had always done; an habit that Mikleo had always hated. Hearing the blonde seraph sigh, he turned towards her again, while she invited them both to sit down.

"I'll tell you everything, then. But please, don't be angry at Lailah, she just wanted to give you time."

The Water Seraph blinked a few times, trying to understand.

"...Okay, that might just be more confusing, so I will just start by the beginning," she looked at the both of them - and especially the hand that had joined Sorey's. "I have been there for... Quite a while, actually. Please, stay sat, and don't get angry," she stated when she saw her friends about to get up, "I wasn't even sure what was happening in the first place. The only things I knew for sure were that I was in Ladylake, and that it was a different years from the one I had passed away."

The look in her eyes told them everything about the city around her, about how lost she had felt in the first minutes of her new life.

"I didn't remember much, actually," she explained. "I only knew my name, and the name of the city. But everything else, my past life, my occupation, everything was just blurry, as if it was too early to remember." Her eyebrows furrowed as the past came back to her mind, "And then, Lailah found me."

The relief in the last sentence had been enough to bring the mentioned Seraph to their sides, and the Lady carefully watched for her dress as she sat by their sides to listen to the story. Still, the Water Seraph wasn't sure about one point.

"I've been in Ladylake a few times after what happened," Mikleo stated, "But not once have I seen you. Is that a trick from a certain someone, or...?"

When the former lord joined her hands together, there seemed to be sparkles in her eyes, the kind of sparkles that showed how proud she was of one of her plans - which also meant, as extraordinary as it sounded, that one of them had actually worked, and the seraph had the bad feeling he was the fool, in that story.

"That is true!" the Fire Seraph admitted, "But Mikleo, it seems that you haven't visited us in the last three hundred years, busy as you were with your exploration, renewing the seal in Camlaan, without mentioning the fact that the warps made it unnecessary for you to go through Ladylake if you wanted to go back to either Elysia or Camlaan," she explained, and, as expected, Mikleo felt stupid. "So indeed, you didn't get the chance to meet our dear Alisha."

Hitting his forehand with his free hand, the fool in question noted he should be careful about that kind of point in the future, especially considering he would travel again very soon.

"But that doesn't answer to one point," the former Shepherd remarked, maybe a bit more focused than himself was, for once. "Why did it take so long for you to come back?"

Silence fell all around, and Mikleo had the sensation he could feel a heartbeat that wasn't his - and that was a bit frightening, actually.

_Why. And how. And what for_.

He closed his eyes, trying to think about all the reasons that could have led to this anomaly, but he didn't manage to find any answer. Except maybe...

"Does it have something to do with Sorey's sleep?"

He eyed Lailah, who seemed as curious as him. She hadn't tried to avoid the questionor make up a stupid answer, yet she didn't even seem to know the answer either, considering how she looked at Alisha.

"I have no idea," she confessed. "It could be, but to be honest, I highly doubt this fact. Indeed, I would be glad if it were the case, but if a squire had to come back, shouldn't it be Rose, instead?"

Rose... She was right, in a way. Mikleo himself had rather expected to meet Rose, but if she had come back, he wouldn't know about it, for their paths had never crossed in nine-hundred-and-eighty years.

"You might be right," he admitted.

His hand was being nervously squeezed, and even though it wasn't too tight, he knew what it meant. So, he came just a little closer to his friend, and that alone seemed to help him relax.

"So, you've been with Lailah, all this time?" the former Shepherd asked, his eyes filled with stars and curiosity, with gratitude and happiness.

"I have," she confirmed, "more or less."

She closed her eyes, until noticing the two childhood friends were unconsciously leaning towards her, like children listening to a story that passionate them - and in a way, that was exactly what it was: a fascinating story, to their ears, about someone they loved, coming back to life. Oh, they could have compared it to Sorey's story, but considering they already knew he was coming back, just not when, the feeling was still different.

"More or less?" Mikleo encouraged, wanting to hear more.

"I... Spent a few years here and there, to try and understand what had become of the kingdom I used to live in," she explained. "Everything had changed, and I didn't recognize most of it. Once, though... Once, I thought Sergei had come back, too."

She seemed saddened, and it was just like the images were there, just before her eyes. The Water Seraph could understand it, even if it was only to a certain extent, just for the many times he had seen a brown lock of hair in the corner of his eyes and had thought it was Sorey, only to be disappointed when it just was an inhabitant of the town he was in, and that looked nothing like the one he had been waiting for.

Still, Alisha's case was different, and even though it broke his heart, he exchanged a gaze with his friend, so they agreed on telling her the truth, no matter how hard it was. The Water Seraph closed his eyes, trying not to think about the fact they were about to hurt one of their closest friend, and felt a comforting squeeze on his hand. He was supposed to be better with that, but at least, the former Shepherd would say the things right the way they were.

"I'm sorry, Alisha," he started, and the former princess - queen, even - tilted her head. "Sergei... He won't come back."

Mikleo felt sorry when he saw panic take control of her, but even as a seraph, she seemed to be able to control her own emotions; at least enough to let the brunette add something:

"Or rather, he comes back. I believe the person you saw was him," and the blue-haired man understood where he was going, "just a little bit different. Alisha... We met a man named Cayden," he explained, peeking at Mikleo, "that looked exactly like Sergei, minus the scar."

Lailah, too, seemed to have understood, but the blond lady probably refused to acknowledge the truth, even unconsciously. And nobody would blame her for that, not him especially, because he would probably have refused it too, if it were about Sorey.

"Alisha..." His voice was low. "We think he reincarnates," he explained. "Which means that-

\- Even if he were to become a seraph, it wouldn't be «him»," the former queen interrupted. "It's alright. I understand."

Tears were on the verge of rolling on her cheeks, and yet she was there, still looking as strong and dignified as ever, head high, fighting the proof of her sadness and frustration. In the green, wet eyes, the water seraph saw his reflection, and the inside of his body suddenly hurt. _Regret. Sadness. Despair, even. I can't let her do that_ , he told himself, shooing away the thought that he had no problem letting himself fall in all of those in the past.

"Alisha, it's okay to cry," he told her, hoping to push her towards the surface. "It's actually better that you cry once and for all. Don't try and act stronger just because you don't want to feel weak. We're there for you, and we understand."

He felt the looks upon him, but it wasn't the right moment to think about it. First because it was Alisha all of this was about, and second because he didn't want to have a discussion about _that_ point in particular right now, in the middle of the Shrinechurch, a few days before the yearly festival. Instead, he focused on Alisha's smile, and the symmetric trails of tears that were surrounding it, and his heart calmed down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The word "Lailah" appears way too many times in this chapter www Anyways, thank you for reading, I wish you nice holidays!


	12. Chapter 12

"So, you have already met Zaveid," the Fire Seraph asked them as they left the Shrinechurch, Alisha having required some time for herself. "Has he said anything in particular?"

There was a malicious, yet dreamy smile on her face, and the water seraph even wondered how it was possible to mix those two emotions in one smile - and then, he remembered who he was spending his time with, and even forgot wondering about that attitude.

"He has said a lot of things, actually," Sorey recalled, looking at the clear sky, and the few clouds that were passing by. "He seemed overjoyed, too, for some reason."

Lailah joined her hands together, sparkles in her eyes, as she started running towards a hidden path between two buildings, before she turned on her heels, beckoning the two of them.

"Is she showing us _why_ Zaveid seemed overjoyed or is she changing subjects?" the new seraph asked, clearly jaded.

"I can't help thinking she's changing subjects," the blue-haired one sighed, "even though, knowing her, the answer could definitely be «both»."

The familiar despaired laugh that answered him seemed to move something inside his heart, but he couldn't say if it was right or wrong - lately, he had started having difficulties doing the distinction between those. It suddenly stopped mattering at all, when Sorey's hand softly took his, guiding him towards the narrow passage, just before which their friend had stopped, a smile on her lips. It looked just like the one a mother could show her children while offering them a present, and suddenly, Mikleo felt like an eight-year-old again, turning his gaze towards his friend. Sorey only shrugged, and he had to admit he couldn't see a single reason why he would know more in the first place.

"Since neither of you have come here for a long time," she started explaining, "You both missed a lot of things - I know that's obvious, but coming from the seraph that helped developing relationships between humans and seraphim, and that promised he'd travel the world to help and discover ruins, I am disappointed that you haven't even taken the time to explore these ones."

Her voice was soft, and if he had to be honest, Mikleo never found Lailah's angry voice terrifying at all, but he didn't need that to fear her wrath; so, he apologized, before looking at the path. It was hard to believe it lead to ruins, but when you thought about it, it was also hard to believe there was even a path in the first place. He looked towards the Fire Seraph, before turning to his childhood friend.

Sorey hadn't really waited for any confirmation, as expected, and was already engulfed in the path, turning back only to take Mikleo's arm and drag him along the way. The Water Seraph barely got the time to see their friend waving them goodbye that he was walking behind his friend. The way was dark, and no matter how accustomed to darkness he was, he still had difficulties seeing anything, on the moment. His eyes were squinted, unlike Sorey's, who just seemed to know exactly where he was going. And _that_ was unusual.

"Sorey," he called, his voice sounding muffled between the walls.

"Mh? What is it?"

He lowered his eyes for a second. _I'm probably wrong, aren't I?_

"Is it me, or do you already know the way?"

He wasn't feeling right at all, and no matter how much he was trying to remind himself it was due to the thing inside of his heart, convincing himself was getting difficult. Almost as much as moving smoothly was becoming. _Please, not now,_ he thought, _just leave me a few more days, leave me enought time to tell him!_ He felt his breath become erratic, and it was like his lungs were taking way more place than they usually did. It seemed to sound louder, too, and Mikleo had to focus on the way they were taking. Thankfully, he heard his childhood friend's voice mutter an incantation, and a second later, a ball of light had appeared, guiding both of them between the stone walls that didn't even let them walk next to each other.

After what seemed hours (younger, Sorey would have called that an eternity, but now, the two of them had a better idea of what «eternity» felt like: one second for the brunette, a thousand years for the blue-haired seraph), the arrived to a large room. The Light Seraph gently sent his ball of light to the ceiling, and they both explored the room very carefully. It wasn't very decorated at all, and Mikleo wondered into what kind of place they friend had sent them; the fact that she hadn't followed them wasn't very comforting in the first place.

"Alright," the former Shepherd told him quietly, before sitting on the ground. "Let's take a break here.

\- Already? Hey, mister world saver, you've been sleeping for long enough not to be tired by dark labyrinth, haven't you?"

An amused sigh answered him, but he was still surprised by his friend's decision. Sorey usually was the first one to walk for entire _days_ without even sitting to eat until he found something interesting, and considering he had felt like closing his eyes for such a short time, he should have been aware that seraphim weren't affected by all that. Yet...

"I have," he confirmed. "But it's you I'm worried about."

_Ah. Of course._ Ignoring the twitch at the corner of his lips, the Water Seraph walked up to his childhood friend, and sat right next to him, smiling when the former human rested his head on his shoulder. He slipped a hand in the brown locks, trying to comfort Sorey.

"You don't need to worry about me, you know," he whispered. "My eyes are probably getting bad from all the entire days I've spent examining ancient ruins, but that won't prevent me from exploring."

An arm slid behind him, and he closed his eyes when a hand came to rest around his hip. It felt like they were somewhere else, maybe in the house they used to share in Elysia, sharing some time together in silence, just because that was the way they liked it.

"It's not what I'm talking about," the muffled voice told him, making him shiver when he felt Sorey's breath against his neck. "You sounded... Tired, earlier, so I thought we'd better rest."

The bitter smile in which his lips were turning was something he'd rather have avoided. He was lucky that the emeralds couldn't see it. To erase it, he placed a kiss between the brown locks, letting his hand slide down his friend's body, shivering at the touch of the muscles he could feel just under the skin. After all this time, he had been sure his fingers would have forgotten, or his body would have stopped reacting. But it seemed like even a thousand more years wouldn't have changed anything about that.

"Thanks," he silently replied. "You're right, I'm not feeling too well, lately."

He managed shutting his mouth before risking to make use of the words «I don't know why», because that would have been a lie, and lies would have only made it worse. Instead, he focused on the warmth he could feel against his left hip, and all of his right side. He wasn't sure why his friend's body felt that warm - but maybe it was for the reason they both liked to avoid, the one Edna had talked about during their fight, the one he knew he had to admit before it was too late.

"Are you sure this break is a good idea?" he asked.

"I don't know," his friend moaned, "I don't wanna move at all, right now. Unless there is very tasty food at the other end of this place, of course.

\- You and your stomach," the older seraph sighed.

"You used to make me sweets all the time, remember? Mikleo, make us a snack."

The Water Seraph sighed. Yes, he remembered preparing sweets and snacks whenever they allowed themselves a rest between two cities. He remembered Sorey and Rose devouring them faster than light, and waiting for everyone to be finished so they could have a little more of it - of course, he always prepared more food than needed, because he just _knew_ his friend was never satisfied enough, and Rose was the exact same as him. «Double the trouble», he had thought at the time, but it was for the best, and he hadn't regretted it at all. Sometimes, he just missed those times.

"I did," he confirmed, quietly. "But I don't have anything to prepare those. Besides, right now, I don't want to move."

He smiled again, for real, this time. He just wanted to snuggle in his friend's arms, and lazily read a book there, just like when they were young, and had too much free time.

"Feeling good?

\- Could be better with a softer ground and a warmer room, but yeah, feeling pretty good," he confirmed, closing his eyes to appreciate the caresses he had started feeling against his hip.

"Good," the former Shepherd whispered, staying silent for a while.

It felt like they were in another world. They were both used to exploring ruins, and there usually was this adventurous feeling, that had them forget to rest for entire days while they were taking notes, and drawing sketchs of the illustrations on the walls. But these ones seemed different. Almost unreal. They didn't have that adventurous feeling. Actually, they were rather boring, at first look - but that could just be an impression, and both of them knew that.

Eyes closed, Mikleo felt the warmth of Sorey's head leave the crook of his neck. He frowned, opened his eyes, only to see his discheveled friend look at him with the same fondness as ever; the one that made his eyes sparkle for no reason, the one that looked sleepy and clumsy. The one nobody else ever got. The Water Seraph bit his lip, trying to calm the irregular beating of his heart. He'd have to do something about that, because he'd rather not feel pain every time his childhood friend looked at him, especially when he loved it so much.

The former Shepherd then arrange his position, to allow the smaller seraph to sit between his thighs, to which Mikleo happily obliged. He had always loved feeling surrounded by the human's warmth, and the fact that his body still felt the same after all this time only made him more eager to put himself in his embrace. Just like when they were young, silently reading books together. He had a book or two in his bag, actually, but now, his bag was just a little too far, and the language was probably just too recent for Sorey anyway, so he'd decided against it, for now.

"I missed you," the brunette commented, once his arms had surrounded Mikleo's waist.

"How many times have you said those words, since you're back?" he kindly asked, not wanting to admit that he loved hearing them, and even less that he felt the same.

"But I really, really missed you!"

Sorey's voice was pouty, almost making the water seraph laugh, moving something in his heart. Somewhere, it was like his body was fighting by itself.

"You were sleeping, though," he commented, keeping for him all the pain and the frustration of not even getting a glance at the one person he had grown up with every day, or spending three hundred fifty-seven thousand and seven hundred nights alone, hoping, at first, for just a sign, a contact, only to get accustomed to loneliness.

"I was, in a way," the brunette confirmed, whispering. "But it wasn't the same, you know? I mean, we've been sleeping _at least_ in the same room since we were born!" he commented, as if it was unimaginable that they'd ever get separated - something the Water Seraph could only have agreed on, if Maotelus hadn't been tainted.

"You weren't alone, either," and it broke his heart, because himself had rejected everyone, at first. "Everybody knows that, it's on every representation of the Shepherd and the Dragon, that legend about how, once, a great man, surrounded by four Seraphim, fought to create a better world."

In the corner of his eyes, he could see the awkward mimic on the said hero's face.

"Yeah, I'm a little uncomfortable with those representations, actually. I don't want to be worshipped, I only followed my dream," he winced.

"I know," Mikleo apologized. "We did our best to try and avoid that, but some people just don't listen."

He heard a hum against the nape of his neck, shivered at the unexpected feeling of a kiss being placed there.

"Anyway," his friend continued, placing another kiss on the top of his head, "It wasn't the same, you know."

Turning his gaze towards the two emeralds, Mikleo raised an eyebrow. He could understand that it wasn't a usual sleep, considering Sorey had basically shut down all of his senses to convey his power to the tainted dragon, but that was exactly why he didn't understand how the former Shepherd had missed him. Technically, he couldn't have been thinking, right? Especially when it had felt so short to him.

"I don't understand," he pointed out. "You said it felt like a minute, a second, even.

\- It did," the brunette admitted, "yet... You know, when I woke up, it just felt like I was craving something. It wasn't food, or sleep, or light, or any basic human need, you know?

\- You weren't a human anymore," the Water Seraph remarked, "so you wouldn't have any particular need; at least, not human ones."

A nod accompanied the hum next to his left ear, while he was snuggling just a bit more against Sorey's chest.

"Exactly. Yet, there _was_ something missing. Rather, someone," he explained, as if it wasn't clear enough already. "And it just feels..." the former human suddenly interrupted his sentence, changing the words: "I just feel complete, now."

The blue-haired one put his hands on his friends', intertwining their fingers. He understood that exact feeling, and affirmed it with a kiss on the Light Seraph's jawline, whispering:

"I missed you too."

The chuckle that answered him was enough to tell him to many things, and to make his heart miss a beat when amethysts met emeralds, just for long enough to let him believe it was alright to lose control. Words were spinning in his head, trying to form the right sentence, to express the right feeling. _You're a thousand years old, Mikleo. You can speak more languages than he can imagine exist. You've seen the world change, people being given birth, living their life, finding love, giving birth to children of their own, follow their dreams and die, again and again. So why is it so hard to speak up?_ He was shaking, and noticed how some parts of his body felt wrong. Ah, of course. Maybe _that_ was the reason. _Alright, I'm not always very good with words, in the first place,_ he reminded himself, and chose the other option.

Losing control was okay, if it was for that. In the end, would he regret it or not, it wouldn't be for too long. For once, he stopped thinking, and let his lips meet Sorey's, hoping it would help convey all the things he was unable to say.

Having a lot to convey didn't help him judging for how long the kiss lasted; in a way, he feared breaking too early (or at all, actually), but at the same time, wasn't he going too far? He probably wouldn't get an answer to that question, but at least, he got relieved. His heart felt less heavy, and his body less stiff. _Ah, right. I can still fight..._ A kiss on his nose took him away from his thoughts, and one on his lips shooed them away.

"So, that's what you were locking inside of you," the former Shepherd stated, startling him.

"What?!"

He heard a sigh, and let Sorey's hand wander around on his chest, stopping right over his heart, their finger still intertwined.

"I know you're aware of it," the pouty voice explained against his neck, "I've felt something was wrong from the day I saw you again, but couldn't put my finger on it. And that impression only grew stronger, until now."

He sighed. Alright, now he understood what they were doing in such a boring place.

"So you asked Lailah for a place where we would be able to be alone and relax, away from the noise of civilisation," Mikleo guessed, sighing in his turn, before looking around.

_And if I can't fight back anymore, I'm enclosed in a safe place, deep enough under the ground for people not to hear my voice, and well kept enough to keep them from being curious enough to try and explore the ruins. Well played._ He felt the hug getting a little bit tighter, and put his left hand on the former Shepherd's cheek, the right one still tightly holding Sorey's, above his heart.

"Mikleo," there were so many feelings in the word, at that very second, that the spirit had difficulties staying calm, "I'm sorry I've left you for so long. I never meant to hurt you."

The Water Seraph hummed, doing his best not to say all the horrors _it_ made come through his mind.

"I know," he answered instead. "I've always known. It's not your fault. It never was."

He felt a nod against his neck, and found his smile back. The blue haired seraph felt bad for not saying the complete truth, but he had to reconsider his choices, first. Because, suddenly, he wasn't so sure anymore that punishing himself was the right thing to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Oops.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

"I can't believe I'm getting to see another Ceremony of the Sacred Sword!" the brunette happily exclaimed, while they were navigating through the crowd that had invaded Ladylake.

"And _I_ can't believe people have started to come from other continents to attend it," Mikleo replied, his eyes constantly sweeping the crowd, to try and find the people they were supposed to meet.

He sighed when yet another couple jostled them, before clicking his tongue at the person who had planted something in his ribs. But the person insisted, thrusting whatever they were using repeatedly in his ribs, to the point he sighed, turning towards them.

"You've developped muscles in the span of a few days, that's impressive, Meebo!"

_«Muscles», huh..._ Using his smaller friend's head as an armrest, he started looking around, protecting his eyes from the sun with his hand.

"Sorey, have you seen my grandma? She's small, blond, very, very old, and she spends her time grumbling."

The forced laugh behind him told him to be careful, because the small ball of anger he was pretending to be looking for was about to do something he'd regret. And he _did_ regret it when the earth started to shake, making a few people trip or fall, and actually opening them a way to the Shrinechurch. He disapproved of the method, yet not being stuck in the crowd was pretty good, too, so he followed Edna along the path, dragging Sorey along with him.

"Why is great-granpa late?" Mikleo asked, staying careful on the words he used: the «Gramps» problem hadn't been discussed yet, and he considered the former Shepherd's coming back brutal enough for now.

"He isn't late, Meebo moron," the Earth Seraph replied, walking a bit faster. "He was there early enough to avoid the crowd, which was a great idea that we _should_ have taken inspiration from."

She wasn't completely wrong on that point, though he wasn't really eager to explain her _why_ they didn't do the same despite actually thinking about it in the first place.

"You're right," Sorey apologized. "Sorry, Edna. We'll be more careful, next time.

\- I hope so," she only stated, stopping in front of the Shrinechurch doors. "Why must the humans do that all the time, it doesn't even _look_ like you," she sighed before entering.

"I'm glad you share my opinion," the (quite confused) Light Seraph admitted, inviting Mikleo to enter the sacred place.

Against the pillars of the Shrinechurch were hangings representing the most glorious of the past Shepherds, most of those being inaccurate. Their existence having reached the status of "legends" had made everybody forget what they really looked like, and in the end, only a few of their characteristics or favorite objects were enough to tell that a picture was representing a specific Shepherd; that was actually how he recognized Sorey's, at the small Celestial Records he was holding up, and the vague, white dragon in the background.

"I'm sorry," Lailah's voice told them, "I asked them not to put it, but the princess insisted."

The brunette rubbed his neck, sighing in resignation.

"I guess it can't be helped," Mikleo deplored. "Ah, humans."

The former Shepherd suddenly looked just a bit irritated, when he turned towards him.

"Do you have a problem with humans, mister sub-lord?"

He smirked. Sorey wasn't always easy to trap, but he had fell head first in this one.

"Maybe," he answered, "They're unpredictable, obstinate, they take their time even when they don't have it, and when they leave, it feels so empty you forget how to live until they come back."

Okay, he wasn't supposed to add the last line, he hadn't even really thought about it before saying it; but there he was, and the smile on Sorey's lips meant he wouldn't like the response to that.

"Woah, Mikleo," the former human's voices sounded way too close to his ears, "that sounded like a declaration."

And _that_ was exactly what he hated, because his face instantly turned red, and he felt unable to look at Sorey in the eyes - why had he grown with such an embarrassing guy by his sides?!

"It really feels like it was one!" Lailah commented, joining her hands in tenderness. "How romantic!

\- So Meebo _can_ do something else than run away and be useless," the oldest member of the group whistled in admiration.

The Water seraph, sighing, let a hand slide on his face - he couldn't believe he was surrounded by such people, even after all that time. For a second, he even regretted admitting he missed the old times, especially when another voice he hadn't heard in a few days asked:

"Ow, come on, don't tell you've started the party without me?"

The Lady of the Lake turned on her heels at a speed Mikleo didn't know she could attain, welcoming the Wind Seraph way more warmly than she used to talk to any man (at least, the ones that were hitting on them, and that meant a lot of them, in particular since humans had started being able to see seraphim again.

"We wouldn't dare, my dear, but you did miss something interesting!"

_«My dear»? Either she has gone mad for good, or she's being ironic. Or else..._ He peeked at Zaveid, wondering why everybody around had gone so quiet, and understood pretty quickly. Seeing the seraph wear a shirt already was a very rare view, but seeing him were _formal clothes_ was something Mikleo wouldn't have thought he'd ever see in the thousands of years he could live.

"Okay, why the hell are you wearing those clothes, why are you even wearing a _shirt_ and a _jacket_ , why is Lailah so kind with you, what's happening around here, has everybody gone mad?"

He wasn't sure he understood anything that was happening around, or maybe he just _didn't want_ to understand it, because he hadn't realized that Lailah herself was wearing formal clothes, too, or that Alisha had arrived to their sides. The Fire Seraph chuckled, but, as expected, refused to answer his questions. Instead, she lead the small group to a calmer room, supposed to be closed to the public, but that nobody was using at the moment.

"Ah, it all feels so nostalgic," and she seemed enchanted by it, "everyone is here, now! ...Okay, almost everyone."

The Wind Seraph sighed, looking despaired.

"Sorry, I was sure she was around, but I guess that was just wishful thinking," he apologized, shaking his head.

"It's alright," Lailah replied, "She has always followed her own path. Sorey, I'm sorry, but I think Rose has decided to stay by Dezel's sides," she explained and the former Shepherd nodded.

It was a bit sad considering they all had hoped for her to come back someday, too, yet after five hundred years, most of them had given up on the idea of meeting her again.

"She deserves her rest," Sorey commented, and Mikleo couldn't agree more, "and thanks to Mikleo, I know she had a great life. I'm glad I got to meet her."

By his sides, Alisha nodded silently, placing a hand on her heart. At the time, the two women had become closer than one would have thought at first glance, and the Scattered Bones had helped rid the world of the last hellions, while selling medications all over the continent.

"We will honour her memory during the Ceremony," Alisha explained, "I talked about it with the princess, and she seemed to love the idea."

The princess wouldn't be the only one to love the idea, considering that everybody in the room agreed on that point. Yet, there was still a veil to be lifted, but before he could insist on it (they would give up, he just _knew_ it), Sorey pointed out:

"Mikleo has a good point, though. Why are the both of you clothed so formally? Especially Zaveid, you're someone I've never seen liking clothes very much.

\- Yeah, I'm quite uncomfortable in those, to be honest," the Wind Seraph admitted, before explaining: "but just for today, I'm doing an effort.

\- Hem, mister?" Lailah called. "You are going to do an effort at least one other day, you know that?"

The remark made Zaveid laugh, though his face clearly show his discomfort, and his eyes were calling for help. Mikleo wasn't against helping people, but he needed to understand why they needed it, and the puzzle was still only starting to make sense in his head. If he could actually call that «sense» because that sounded more like a joke than an actual probability considering those two, to the point he was refusing to believe it was even possible.

"One other day?" he still risked, exchanging a confused look with Sorey.

"Yeah, we're gonna-"

The old man's mouth was suddenly covered, and while he was groaning in frustration, the Lady of the Lake covered his voice:

"I promise you will understand everything during today's Ceremony, so please be a little more patient," she apologized. "And you, learn to shut your mouth!

\- Come on, I'm sure Edna already understood, and they look like lost children. Can't we just tell them?"

Lailah sighed, but before she could answer, someone knocked at the door, to come and pick the people related to the organization of the ceremony, which left confused seraphim alone with Edna. Mikleo looked at her, but considering her smile, didn't even bothered.

"They took their time," she only commented, before looking at them. "And what about the two of you? Childhood friends and still haven't sorted out your problems?"

He was about to reply something in the lines of «this is none of your concern, but he couldn't even breathe before Sorey indicated:

"We did. And now, everything is gonna be alright, isn't it, Mikleo?"

The Water Seraph huffed. _Maybe_. Maybe it was worth fighting for. Maybe it would be too cruel to leave so soon after Sorey had finally come back. Maybe he didn't want the seraph he loved to feel as lonely as he had been all these years. Because that was something Sorey didn't deserve. If there was something he never wanted to do, then it was leaving the Shepherd alone. _But none of this will change what I've done._

"It will," he replied, a smile on his lips. "You're worrying too much, granny."

The Earth Seraph had gotten up from her chair, and, according to her attitude, was ready to stomp on the ground and make use of her powers.

"You shouldn't do that in such a crowded place. Besides, we're awaited, I think," he indicated, letting them hear the noise of the people's voices on the other side of the door.

The smaller seraph huffed in frustration, delicately putting her foot on the floor.

"Fine," she replied. "I'll hit you later. Especially if you call me «granny» again."

He smiled, and followed Sorey, who was leading them to the Shrinechurch. Apparently, thanks to their friends, they had the priviledge of getting reserved seats, and Mikleo felt quite thankful for that: they wouldn't have to fight against the crowd to see what was going on.

"Mikleo, look!" the former Shepherd called, showing him the altair.

He was probably as surprised as the Light Seraph when he saw Lailah in front of the said Altair, and Zaveid and Alisha standing in retreat, probably acting as security guards. What was going on... When he looked at the crowd, he was surprised to see them so diligent and organized - the last ceremony he had seen was still a little messy - and listened to every word the Lady of the Lake was saying.

"My dear friends, from all over the world, welcome to Ladylake's Sacred Sword ceremony. Today, once again, we are reunited to let the sword decide of the birth of a new Shepherd. I believe that everyone, here, knows about it, but a Shepherd is someone who watches over our world to protect it from Malevolence, and, if a Lord of the Calamity were to appear again, to defeat them and restore peace on our world, just like the heros of the ancient ages did, in the past."

"«Heros of the ancient ages»?" Sorey whispered, "Is that how they call us?"

The blue haired seraph nodded.

"It is. You're the latest of them," he explained, "and from a human point of view, you're from ancient ages."

The brunette seemed a bit depressed for a second, and Mikleo could understand that. He placed a hand on his lover's back, and his smile seemed to come back.

"Today, you will have to prove your worth as a potential Shepherd," she added, "But first, let's share a prayer together."

As she started saying the words, all the humans in the crowd followed her, in a peaceful harmony. Unlike most recent prayers, though, this one, sung in the old asguardian language, seemed to be of use: light surrounded Lailah, expanding to the whole room. While the sword was gradually surrounded in it, Mikleo could feel a few vibes through all his body. He felt good, as good as he had felt in the ruins, more relaxed. He could still feel something scratching him, deep inside of him, but the stiffness of his joints was relieved, and when he placed a hand on his chest, it had stopped feeling as tough as it was just before. He could feel the change wasn't completely inverted, though, and it was still tougher than it should have been, yet it was a bit comforting.

"What was that light?!" the former Shepherd asked, speaking just a little too loud.

"You should know it," Mikleo answered him, smiling in his newly found comfort.

"It was purification," the Earth Seraph explained, "And according to his face, someone here needed that.

\- Shut up."

But Edna smiled, clearly satisfied from having said too much - and Mikleo realized it was her revenge. Yet, he couldn't say more, since the prayer was over. In front of the hotel, a woman in garments that reminded the ones Alisha used to wear as a human approached the Fire Seraph, and nodded to her.

"Unlike the other years, and before proceeding to the First Trial of the Shepherd, I would like to offer two of my precious friends something they have been waited for many years, now. Zaveid, Lailah, please," the woman called.

The two seraphim obliged, each one of them standing on one side of the altair, and placed their left hand on it.

"I, Victoria, princess of the Hyland-Rolance Kingdom, wish to officialise the promise of a wedding made by Zaveid, protector of Rolance, and Lailah, Lady of the Lake, and protector of Hyland. May the promise of your union keep our land safe, and bring strength to the future Shepherds, and the Seraphim that will accompany them in their duty."

_...Wait, what?!_

He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Yet, next to the Altair, Alisha was bringing engagement rings to the future spouses, and the point of view of the small group let them guess how red the two seraphim's faces were. _No. Wait. That must be a dream. I'm sleeping in a bed and having a very weird dream._

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't our Lailah pushing away anyone who was trying to seduce her the last time I saw her?" Sorey murmured, worry taking over his voice.

"She still was the last time _I_ met her! What in the world is happening here?

\- Heh, that was obvious, though. You two can be really dense when it comes to feelings, even with each other, so indeed, why would you guess those two have been dating for _centuries_?"

The Water Seraph wanted to reply with something, but the engagement vows were being said, and, under the applauses of the whole Shrinechurch, the wedding promise reached its end, letting the Ceremony go one. A second later, Lailah was calling the aspiring Shepherds to come and try taking the sword away from where it was planted.

"She hasn't revealed the trick, has she...

\- You know Lailah. She wouldn't do that.

\- Besides," Edna pointed out, "if you reveal the magic, people stop believing in you. That could lead the world to a second age of darkness, and I think that you, of all people, don't want that to happen, do you?"

Sorey stayed silent. Their friend was right, especially considering the Light Seraph had barely seen what the world looked like, since the age of darkness. He closed his eyes, only to open it again when someone managed to pull the sword out.

The Water Seraph was pretty sure he had seen the Fire Seraph mouth words behind the young woman before she pulled the sword out. She had really managed arranging things the right way after the world had become able to see Seraphim, hadn't she... Mikleo closed his eyes and smiled, cheering for the new Shepherd.

"I hope Lailah chose wisely," Sorey whispered, looking at the young woman.

It was easy to know why, and the Water Seraph had to admit he understood; yet, there was one thing he was sure about:

"She chose wisely when she chose you," he reminded, and the former human rubbed his neck.

"He has a point, though. I hope she chose wisely," Edna confirmed, nodding towards the the altair.

Unlike wht had happened so long ago, Lailah wasn't the one who was saying the spell. She only guided the Seraph that would take the place she had occupied for so long. And that wouldn't have been such a big deal, if the Seraph in question wasn't the former princess of Hyland.

"Alisha..."

It was a bit surprising, because Lailah had taken the role for so long, and considering she had been in charge of the Ceremony, it was going without saying that she would lead Shepherds once again - but it seemed like things had changed, and she was only guiding the new Lord. «Maoccs Amecca», the name resounded in the Shrinechurch, and Sorey, surprised, turned towards Mikleo, looking as if something impossible had just happened, and clearly at loss for words.

"Mikleo! She! Her name!

\- She has kept the real name you gave her, yes. That's a thing people do.

\- But! I!"

He sighed. What an idiot he was... Or maybe he didn't remember?

"Hey, you're also the one who gave me mine," he admitted, a nostalgic smile on his lips. "And it's still there.

\- It's not the same!"

He sounded so in shock Mikleo couldn't refrain a chuckle, and he had to regain his composure as soon as possible, considering the Ceremony wasn't over yet - it did sound like it was about to end, though. Mikleo listened to the new Shepherd's speech - it was unprepared and a bit clumsy, but she did have very strong ideas, and the seraphim looked relished. Once she saluted, the Princess declared the Ceremony over, and invited everyone to take part in the festivities, in town.

"What are the festivities?

\- I have no idea," the Water Seraph apologized, "Remember I haven't set foot aroud here for three hundred years? That's a very long time, in case you were wondering."

Sorey had a nervous laugh, before he straightened up, looking at the approaching seraphim - and the new Shepherd.

"Garnet, I wish to introduce you to someone," Lailah's voice came to their ears. "I believe this will help you on your way to see things and on your trip as a Shepherd."

The brown, wavy haired young woman nodded, and, led by the Fire Seraph, leaded the new Shepherd to them. _Ah, of course._ He had understood her intention, and wondered if it really was the right thing to do. Yet, in a way, it probably was better to do that now and let him alone afterwards. He lowered his eyes, trying to ignore the uncomfort deep inside.

"Sorey?" the Fire Seraph called, and he noticed his lover's hand was on his back only when he moved it away.

"Yes?" he could hear. "Oh! You're the new Shepherd!"

Sorey's voice was over excited, as expected, yet Mikleo was curious of how the interaction would go - after all, Sorey had no idea how much of a legend he was to all these people.

"Sorey, let me introduce you to Garnet, our new Shepherd. As you have seen, the one who will accompany her will be Alisha."

The former princess was dignified as usual, and looking quite confident, which was not something the Water Seraph would have expected in such times.

"Nice to meet you, Garnet!"

How long was he going to manage staying calm, considering Mikleo could feel how happy and excited he was by the Ceremony in itself, the fact he was meeting a new Shepherd, had learnt Alisha had kept the name he had given her, or that she was the new Lord.

"And Garnet, this is Sorey, Shepherd of the Dark Age, hero of the Ancient Ages," she introduced quite ceremonially.

The young woman's eyes widened so much Mikleo wondered if they wouldn't pop out of their orbits, her mouth gaping as if she had learnt something to would change her life forever - which certainly was the case.

"Is... Is this real?!" she asked. "Are you the one they talk about in the books, the Shepherd mentionned in the old books?"

She took out an old book with a leather cover that the blue-haired seraph knew all too well, for he had _written_ it, relating their story in order for them not to get lost in time, for future explorers to prepare for everything they could meet on the continent, to never let the world forget about dragons and Heldalf, about malevolence and what it lead to. _I should probably re-read it myself,_ he told himself. _My old self probably has something to teach me._

"Mikleo?!" the brunette's voice called in disbelief. "You were the one to write this?"

He jumped, looked at both the former Shepherd and the new one, who were both looking at him.

"Huh... Yes," he admitted. "It was long ago, though, only a few years after... Well, you know."

He shrugged, only noticing the cover was used, some parts had gotten lighter - certainly thanks to the sun - and here and there, the leather was scrapped off.

"I'm sorry," the young woman explained, "my model's not in the best of states..."

The book still in his hands, Sorey only answered by looking into his bag, to take out his copy of the Celestial Records, making Mikleo sigh in amusement.

"Don't you know it by heart, by now?"

The former Shepherd nodded, before answering.

"I do. I don't really need it anymore, so I guess I'll give it to someone who might need it more than us."

Those words said, he gave the two books to the young Shepherd, who still seemed under the shock of meeting the man her favorite book talk about, and whose hands were almost shaking under the emotion, when she took both of them.

"Thank you very much! I will take the greatest care of it!" she accepted in happiness.

"I have no doubt you will," Sorey answered, a smile on his lips. "If you need to talk, don't hesitate, we will be there for you," he explained, immediately interrupted by a tick of Lailah's tongue. "I know! I won't give the details, she needs to live it, to learn it by herself.

\- That's better.

\- But you know that sometimes, having someone to talk who can understand you is important."

The young woman tilted her head, looking a bit curious. It felt weird, because although she looked very cute, with her brown, wavy hair arranged in a complex hairdo, and her hazel eyes, she was still taller than Sorey, forcing even him to raise his head when he wanted to talk to her.

"Someone who can understand me?"

Sorey nodded, looking at Mikleo, who closed his eyes. He could still remember all that had happened at the time, and how happy he was that his childhood friend had found something that experienced the world the same way as him.

"Sometimes, you need to meet people who share your point of view," he explained, "but nobody can share _all_ of your points of views. You need to be surrounded by people who can help you see all the sides of a same situation, humans and seraphim alike," his voice started trailing off, making it easy to understand he had almost said something he shouldn't have. "Anyway. Do not travel alone, and meet people before you ever judge them."

He seemed to be checking if he had said everything he had thought about, and confirmed it a minute later, by nodding, a smile on his lips. Garnet turned towards Alisha, thoughtful, before thanking the man from her book.

"I will keep that in mind," she bow respectfully, and for a mere second, Mikleo stopped feeling so small, "Thank you, mister Sorey.

\- Please, drop the «mister»..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand thank you for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

While the young Shepherd was asleep for three days and three nights, the seraphim spent time all together, celebrating the wedding promise in their own way, and helping for the preparations of the new Shepherd's journey. On the last night, while Alisha was going back to Garnet's sides, Lailah took the Water Seraph apart, next to the lake, that people had left after the fireworks had ended.

"Mikleo..." the Lady of the Lake's voice was hesitant, as if she were worried, or hiding something away from him.

Or maybe she was just scared; that was something he wouldn't blame her for.

"What is it?"

She played with her fingers, letting him notice her discomfort.

"How have been... things... Since he came back?"

_Ah_. He lowered his eyes, sighing. No matter how much he wanted to hide it, it was never enough, huh? Oh, well, it wasn't like everybody didn't know about it already. Even Sorey had noticed, and that was what broke his heart the most.

"Not always very well," he admitted. "I blacked out once, and have felt bad from time to time. He thinks he knows why I'm like that, but..."

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

"You never told him the truth, did you?"

She sounded sorry, and a little sad, too, but he was accustomed to those. So, he just shrugged, looking at the distance. All he could see, smell, feel, was water, and he kind of wanted to just go there and be free. This lake felt purer than he had even known it, and yet he was ready to taint it again - or maybe it would just help purifying him? _Hah, don't dream._

"I don't really know how to tell him something so terrible. I've done something terribly wrong, and the regrets that come with it are unlimited. Yet, in the meantime, I sometimes wish I had gone all the way."

Suddenly, his cheek hurt, and he was blinking like an idiot in front of his friend, whose face was redder than her clothes. His senses only alerted him that he'd better prepare to get burned, and his body was on the verge of jumping in the lake.

"Do not! Ever! Say those words again!"

Lailah was very bad at shouting, yet right now, he was terrified by her attitude, and he could swear that he had a risk of losing his life, right this moment.

"I just-

\- You _nothing_ , mister! Had I been accompanying a Shepherd, I'd have them purify you the hard way, right here, right now!" she signaled, making the former sub lord bow in front of her.

Eyes tightly shut, mouth as much, and forgetting to breathe, Mikleo didn't move until his friend started relaxing, and made him look at her.

"I'm sorry, Lailah. I'll tell him, I swear. I just need to find the right way," he explained, sighing. "And I need to find it fast."

The Fire Seraph looked very worried, so he shot a smile at her to try and make her feel better. He knew he didn't have to explain anything more for her to understand.

"Alright," she admitted, to his pleasure. "I'll let you go on your way. But you have to understand that, when the day comes, I - no, all of us are going to stand by his sides. And if we have to, then..."

He nodded, closing his eyes. He wouldn't have wanted it to be otherwise anyway.

"It's alright, Lailah. I know the story. I've lived it already, you know?" He didn't want to hear anymore of this, actually.

He didn't want to be haunted again by all those memories, and even less by the thought of what could happen. Of what had great chances to happen.

"...Anyway," he started, before looking at the moon, "You hid a lot of things from us. Now you're not even concluding pact with shepherds anymore, and you're engaged with the crazy old man. What happened to you?" he asked, feeling a bit at loss since he had come back from Avalon.

Her hand touching the surface of the water, Lailah smiled fondly, as if she was the happiest in the world - the exact same way Sorey and him used to smile when they were younger, exploring ruins together.

"I'm sure even you have heard the stories of the wars that afflicted our country, Mikleo, so I won't insult you by telling you their stories, but... A few towns, here and there, decided it was due to the unification of our countries, and tried to create intern conflicts. So, the Queen decided to choose two seraphim to protect both lands. Of course, Zaveid and myself immediately volunteered. We are here to protect Hyland and Rolance from any kind of conflict, not only with each other, but also with the countries we share borders with. It also allows us to extend our domains, to create a bigger one and protect our lands from malevolence."

He nodded, noticing that no matter the domains, he had managed to enter the zone - yet, there probably was a reason behind that.

"I see," he approved, smiling.

"I wonder if master Zenrus would be proud of us...

\- Of course he would," the blue-haired seraph replied almost immediately, feeling like a child again. "He would be extremely proud of the two of you, and extremely angry against me, actually."

He shivered at the thought of the scolding he would have recieved. In a way, it was more terrifying than whatever was awaiting him - which probably was the reason why he _knew_ he wouldn't have done that if Gramps were still there, and also the reason why he probably would never be able to really find peace again, no matter how good it felt to finally be back by Sorey's sides.

"Please don't blame yourself so much," his friend asked him, right when he could feel his legs start to tremble uncontrollably. "I'm sure he would understand. He would talk with you, just like any of us is ready to do, right now; except he'd have the experience of raising you. That doesn't mean we can't help, Mikleo," his friend insisted, and even though she was speaking softly, it sounded like a scold, to him. "You just need to try and open yourself to us. It's alright to take your time, as long as you make a sign for us to talk to you."

Her voice was soft, certainly like the voice of a mother, and Mikleo surprised himself wondering what her and Zaveid's babies would look like, if seraphim were born the same way as humans.

"Thank you, Lailah." He felt a little less anxious, and found the courage to ask her a question: "Do you think he would get angry if I told him the truth?"

He was terrified by that. By the idea of getting shouted at, and despised, by the one person he had waited for during so many years, by the one person he _lived_ for. A hand on his heart, he could feel the way his skin pulsed, getting harder every time his heart sent blood through his veins.

"I don't think so," the Fire Seraph answered him in the sweetest of tones. "He will be scared, most certainly. Not _of you_ , but of _losing you_ , or so I believe. He will try to understand, and to help you heal," a bitter smile decorating her thin lips, Lailah added: "I, though, am sad to be the one saying those words, when you should know this by heart."

He stared at her, flabbergasted, and looked around, trying to find the right words, or any explanation for that. _Of course_ he should have been the one saying those words. _Of course_ he should have known all of that. After all, the only person to have spent more time by Sorey's sides than him was Maotelus, and nobody had any idea of where he was, and what he was doing. He didn't manage moving before his friend ruffled his hair, in an attempt of a motherly act - he only felt frustrated about that, because it had taken him a whole hour to put his curls in an organized tail. Yet, he did appreciate the contact.

"Thanks," he told her, trying to refrain his lips from curling into a smile when he started feeling the former Shepherd's aura. "It helps. I don't know if I'm ready yet, but I'll definitely manage, one day or another," he confirmed, before turning towards his lover. "Besides, we'll have to talk again anyway, because no matter how skillfully you avoided the question of your relationship with Zaveid, I did notice it," he smiled.

"Sorry," she apologized, joining her hands in front of her face. "I understand your curiosity, but for now I just want you to understand our relationship isn't purely of interest.

\- I know," he replied.

"How?"

The Fire Seraph looked a bit surprised, but he couldn't help, that was _way_ too tempting.

"You were both blushing like children when you exchanged your vows," he replied, before walking towards the former Shepherd.

He heard a vague frustrated sound, that made him laugh, as he was walking back _home_ \- because home, he knew it, was nowhere else than by Sorey's sides, no matter how much he loved Elysia, or any place he had lived in at all. So, he just threw himself into Sorey's arms, hoping his body wouldn't feel too weird - after all, he knew the reason Edna had told him he had gotten abs was that she had hit right where his skin had started turning into scales; he also knew that, even if the brunette wouldn't say a word about it until himself decided to talk about it, he would feel bad anyway...

_Lailah's right, I need to put a stop to all this._

"Your hair's a mess," the taller one remarked, and Mikleo could only nod, enjoying the warmth and comfort he was feeling all around.

"Blame Lailah," he still answered.

"It's alright," the brunette told him, playing with his locks, "We should go rest anyway, if we want to be able to say goodbye."

He nodded, and after bidding a good night to their friend, walked towards the hotel they had taken a room in - it was near the castle, a bit away from the habitations, and had its own restaurants and stores, making it calm and comfortable. The room had been offered to them by the Princess, after Alisha had explained who they were, and even though none of them would have asked for so much - a tiny room in any inn would have been enough for the two of them, as long as they could sleep - they had to admit it was a luxury they appreciated. It had a very personal feeling, and they were away from everything and everyone, making it easy to work on Sorey's learning of the evolution of the language, or to just feel intimate, just like they used to act by then, sitting together, always in contact, and reading books about everything and anything.

That night, though, the second he had opened the door to their room, Mikleo let his clothes fall on the floor, before going to take a shower. He didn't mind showing his body, since he was pretty sure nothing was visible on the surface of his skin, but even the slightest of touch would be enough to reveal the truth. He decided to let it sink in his mind while letting the water fall on his face, shoulders, torso. He noticed how he couldn't feel it on the part that had hardened (and it saddened him, because not feeling his element made him feel lost, and his head spinned), and how it still felt comfortable, because there, he couldn't lie at all.

Eyes closed, he was facing the thing, the him that had made mistakes so big he couldn't pardon himself. The one that accomplished the worst treachery he could have even thought about. And it was alright. Because he deserved his punishment, no matter how unfair it would seem to Sorey.

_I'm sorry_.

His heart squeezed, but he knew it was alright. He was used to that, now.

_I gave up._

He wondered what the expression on his face looked like, seen from the exterior.

_I had no real reason._

His hurt started to hurt, but he had lived far worse during his travels.

_I just felt like I couldn't live anymore._

His head hit the wall, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter, because he had more important things to do - for example, trying to figure out where to find the strength to say those words to the man who needed to hear them. _How am I supposed to say that without..._ He interrupted his own thoughts, refusing to imagine the scene. _If I don't have the strength to admit it to myself, how am I supposed to tell him?_ He kept trying to look for a solution, but little by little, the noise of the water became deafening, and he wasn't even sure anymore of how his body looked like.

Until a hand rested on his wet back, and a towel started drying him. Suddenly, he became conscious of his body again, and of the fact his own element had been acting weird towards him - he felt hundreds of little burns on his skin, as if the water had became acid. Yet, as soon as his eyes, were able to see again, the first thing he noticed was that his body was a uniformely pale as usual. So, he turned his gaze towards the second cause of his concern, his face empty of any expression when he watched Sorey consciously dry him with the towel, not noticing he had opened his eyes.

His legs were hurting so much he didn't move for a while, which, he knew, wouldn't help his friend notice he was awake. He didn't feel like talking at all either, so it wasn't until the Light Seraph looked at his face that he noticed Mikleo was back on earth. The thing, though, was conscious enough to be about to shout at the former Shepherd; the sound died in his throat when the first thing Sorey did was smile at him.

"Are you alright?"

Before answering, the Water Seraph looked at his own body. He tried moving his legs, his feet, his ankles. They were sore, but he could still move them. So, he tried his shoulders, arms, hands. Alright. Hips and neck; everything okay, if not for the cold feeling of his bones gradually changing shapes.

"I think I am," he managed to say, surprised at how his voice sounded unusually hoarse. "What happened?"

The sigh that answered him didn't help him feel better, but he was prepared for that.

"I don't know what happened before," the Shepherd calmly started, "but I heard a loud noise, and it turned out you had hit your head, and seemed unconscious. I called your name, but you didn't answer," the brunette admitted, looking lost. "I had no idea what to do, so I did what seemed the most logical."

In a way, Mikleo was happy he hadn't taught his lover how to use a cell phone, and how to contact the emergencies, because he would have understood what was wrong in a way he wouldn't have appreciated.

"Thanks," he only barely managed to reply. "And sorry, I think I'm tired," he simply explained, suddenly very happy that he had grown up learning to live like humans did.

"Okay."

He suddenly stopped feeling the cold ceramic under his skin, and noticed something soft on his belly. Reflexes had him place an arm around Sorey's neck so he could stay stable, letting his mind wander while he was being carried, bridal style, to their bed. It felt good, and pain started getting lighter during the very short trip. He felt like he was being treated like a prince when the former Shepherd laid him on the bed, taking care to do it as softly as possible. He couldn't help but smile, and think that he had missed all those small attentions.

_But they are back_ , he reminded the thing. _They are back, and they won't go away anymore._

At least he hoped so, because he really needed it, just so he could spend a little more time as himself on this world - and he knew he only had a very short time left, the moment his body made it difficult for him to even put pajamas on. He still managed doing it, and to slip under the sheets. For now, he was too tired to talk about it, and managing to fall asleep would be good enough, considering the pain he could feel.

As soon as he was in the arms of the Shepherd, though, it seemed to disappear, letting him fall asleep in an instant, on the thought that he didn't remember their cuddling felt _that_ relaxing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

No matter how late the events of the night had made them go to bed, or how tired they had been afterwards, both seraphim had managed to get ready on time to meet Garnet and Alisha, in front of the Shrinechurch. They had chosen a very early hour, just so the town would be calm, and the people still asleep.

When they arrived, Mikleo tried to think about random things, happy things, just so his friends wouldn't worry about the events of the night - Garnet didn't need that to start her journey, especially when she looked so happy when she was speaking with the princess, and so eager to start her journey. It made his heart feel kind of lighter, though the thing seemed very agitated, that day.

That was stupid, and ridiculous, because he had accompanied a few Shepherds on their departures, himself, long ago, and had never felt uneasy. That was illogical, because life had been making itself comfortable for him, lately, and he knew that a new trip was awaiting him. Sorey and him were to depart for Elysia the next day, and they would be back in the old house, next to the family that had seen them grow up together.

He had no reason to feel anything else than pride and happiness, right? Except maybe the excitment of meeting everyone again, After he had left them for so many years, only occasionnaly sending them a letter to make sure everybody and everything was okay, and tell them he was okay, too - because he missed them, even though he was bad at expressing it. The thing calmed down, overflowed by the positive thought of reuniting with his family, letting the Water Seraph relax a bit.

"Aren't they cute?" Lailah's voice suddenly raised from nowhere. "It is quite sad that they won't be able to meet for a while," she deplored, before looking at Zaveid, to her sides. "But they're both strong, I'm sure they'll do fine," she assured, before turning towards Alisha. "How are you feeling?

\- A little nervous," the former queen admitted. "The last time I accompanied a Shepherd, I didn't manage to stay for very long, after all."

A bitter smile formed in the corner of her lips, before she apologized to Sorey for that.

"It's okay, Alisha," the Light Seraph replied, "You know I've always been perfectly okay with your leaving anytime. And the situation was completely different, you're a seraph, now."

The woman nodded, before looking at her hands. They hadn't changed very much, but it probably felt weird, to become a seraph, especially so long after losing consciousness... _I shouldn't think about that._ He hadn't known that, or rather, he didn't remember, and it was better that way.

"You're right," she answered, taking large breathes so she stayed calm. "I should not worry. Everything's gonna be alright, and if something doesn't, I'll just think about what I went through, I can do it!" she affirmed, with an assurance Mikleo had never seen her have before.

"That's the spirit!" Lailah cheered, joining her hands together. "I'm proud of you. Now, I see that Garnet has freed miss Victoria, so maybe..."

Their friend nodded, looking at the Shepherd, when she arrived by her sides.

"Alisha, should we?

\- Yes, I think it is time," the former queen replied.

Garnet nodded, and looked at the group of seraphim, a smile on her face, gesturing the princess to join them. Victoria nodded, and came to their sides, bowing to them in a respect that could only be admired.

"Ah, that's better," the brown-haired Shepherd affirmed, souding very confident. "Anyway... I have no idea where this journey will bring me. I have no idea if I'll succeed or not," she admitted, "but what I know is that I'm well surrounded. I got precious advices and hints, and the best support one can get," she eyed the princess, with a smile Mikleo found hard to understand. "I hope our paths meet again, someday."

She bowed so low the tail she had put her hair in flipped over her head, and she found herself laughing at that fact, before straightening her back.

"I'm sure you'll be an excellent Shepherd, Garnet," Sorey cheered.

The young woman smiled the brightest Mikleo had seen her, bowed to the group in gratitude and respect.

"I am honoured to depart from Ladylake under the care of so many great people," she adressed them one last time. "Thank you for supporting me, and see you soon, I hope."

She bowed one last time, and almost immediately ran to princess Victoria, to hug her with all her might, looking at her in the eyes, before she finally found the strength to leave the town, waving to her departure comittee. The Water Seraph felt the thing agitate itself, but no matter how much he tried to focus on something happy, its power seemed to increase. _Focus, Mikleo. Talk. It makes ideas concrete, it'll help_.

"She seems to have gotten very close to Princess Victoria," he remarked, while trying to focus his mind on Sorey's presence by his sides.

"Ah!" Lailah shouted before clapping her hands and turning towards him, cheeks red and an awkward smile on her lips. "It's because they actually are... Is it right for me to be the one who says it?"

The Lady of the Lake was turning towards the princess, but the Water Seraph's head started spinning, and he found it difficult to remember her face, even though he had seen her for three days straight, when they were starting Garnet's trip preparations. The scales on his flanks were hurting him, but he bit his lips to try and hide it. He'd need to go to those ruins, soon, no matter how much that hurt him.

"Garnet is actually my lover," the princess explained, a smile in her voice; and suddenly, he felt filled with an irrationnal fear.

Her lover. He could see it happen all over again. He could see the years spent waiting, the reunion never coming - because Princess Victoria was a human, and who knew how long she would be able to keep waiting? Humans barely lived over a hundred years, and a hundred years would never be enough, right?

He could feel the thing pump through his veins at every heartbeat. He could feel his body hurt, and change, and it felt like there was a constant scream in his head, making it difficult to think properly; so he opened his eyes, looking for his only salvation, on the emeralds that always seemed to be all over him.

"Help me," he had a hard time muttering, and the pain he was starting feeling in his jaws told him he wouldn't be able to speak for long. "Sorey! Help me!" he was panicking, and deep inside, knew it was only accelerating it all.

Around him, he had heard Lailah's voice tell Victoria to retreat to a safer place, and Alisha's calling the Lady of the Lake. He heard Garnet asked what was happning, and the sorry commentaries that answered her.

"Mikleo," his lover's voice was calm, and seemed closer than the other ones, and for a few second, everything paused. "It's gonna be alright, I swear to you."

The contact of the former Shepherd embracing him in a hug felt as warm as the tears that were rolling on his cheeks. He was terrified, difformed, and yet, Sorey was hugging him, planting kisses on his face, even. His head was a mess, he knew it, and he knew why. _And yet I can't find the words to tell him. I'm pathetic._

"I'm not letting yo go, okay?" he nodded, even though he _knew_ the warmth would have to leave him any moment, now, because his body was about to expanse. "Mikleo, talk to me. Even if you're scared, even if it's something you can't admit, even to yourself. Once you speak it out, you'll feel better, alright?"

He nodded, unsure of how he could even feel better, now, or even what _talking_ would change; yet he also was unsure what his name was, where he was, or even what he was doing a minute ago. He did, though, recognize Garnet's voice, asking in a firm tone what she could do. _You can't do anything,_ he thought, or maybe he had said it? Making the difference between thoughts and actual words was getting complicated. All he was really aware of was the warmth around him, and the cold fire burning inside of him, ready to change his features in a minute.

"Please, Mikleo, talk to me, say anything, I beg you!"

His eyes widened at the suffering he heard in the beloved voice, and his tears doubled - or maybe that was just an impression he had - reality was a very far thing, in that exact moment.

"I'm sorry," he found himself articulate in a voice that wasn't his. "I'm sorry, I gave up!" he managed to say, and suddenly his eyes were seeing clearly again. It only lasted a second, though, but it was enough to see he was surrounded with people ready to fight: "I gave up," he admitted once again, almost screaming under the pain cause by his shoulder blades extending behind him, changing the position of his arms.

"What did you give up?" he heard, Sorey's voice sounding too calm as fingers picked up his tears. "What did you give up that was so important you've been regretting it for so long?"

The Water Seraph - could he even call himself that way anymore? - could feel air become burning hot when he breathed. The fear of not being able to talk anymore very soon frightened him, so much that the skin covering his entire body suddenly became tough, and he could feel scales form her and there.

"You!" he managed to shout.

_He's right, I need to say it. It's my last chance to say it all._

"It's you I gave up!"

Even his voice was changing, and started sounding like the rattle of a dragon. _Quick!_

"I couldn't bear the waiting, it felt like I didn't have a place anymore on this world, as if I had lived for too long, as if you were never coming back!" he admitted, trying to ignore the pain, the spinning of his head, the blur of his vision due to his eyes changing, and how much it hurt. "I'm so sorry, Sorey! I'm scared! I was scared... I was useless," he remebered, not knowing if the thing that was leaving his body through his breath was ice, or self-hatred. "The world didn't need me anymore, so I tried leaving it."

Suddenly, everything stopped. Oh, his body still hurt, but the changes had all halted, with the pain, and the train of thoughts that he realized he had been hearing all the time; even the fear, the self-pity, or the tears.

"Mikleo."

He could feel his own heartbeat. Unlike the rest, though, it was accelerating.

"I'm sorry I left you waiting for so long," the former Shepherd apologized. "I didn't realize how painful it must have been," tears appeared at the corner of his eyes, but the spirit couldn't erase them - his hands had already turned into clumsy claws; he didn't want to hurt Sorey.

He had expected the brunette to slowly, but surely let him go as the changes were on their way, but right at this moment, he noticed the warmth was still around him, holding him tightly, even after his knees had started reversing themselves and he had almost fallen.

"I'm sorry, Mikleo," he heard again. "It must hurt, all of this. I can't start to imagine the pain I've been causing you."

He closed his eyes, tried to calm his breathing - slowly, but steadily, it started burning a little less.

"I never wished for it," Sorey continued, "Taking the long way to our next meeting was a hard task, but in the end, you did it, okay? That's what counts. You're there, by my sides, right now, and that's what counts for me."

_That's what counts for me, too,_ he thought, unable to even express himself, on the moment.

"Thank you, Mikleo, for having waited for me all those years. Thank you for having found the strength to go on until today, even after you tried leaving. Thank you for having held this pain inside you just so we could spend a little time together again."

Mikleo wanted to answer, but his own breathing was becoming erratic, and he had to look deep inside of himself to find the right words.

"I'm sorry for hiding it," he managed to say. "I'm sorry for keeping it for myself and letting it grow, I didn't want you to leave a second time and I made the wrong choice."

It felt like a crime confession, and in a way, for him, that was what it was. Because he was confessing the reason he had never forgiven himself in the first place.

"I didn't want to forget what I did," he went on, and slowly, though the pain was coming back, he was feeling lighter and lighter. "I didn't want to let myself do it again. And in the end, look at me: not only did I do it again, but I'm becoming a monster because of it; soon I'll lose my ability to talk, or even to think properly."

But at least, he'd disappear in his home, where he had always felt the best: by Sorey's sides. That was the only one thing that made it easier for him to know he was about to lose everything.

"I don't know, you look pretty basic to me," a woman's voice told him, and the first thought that came to his mind was to ask her if she had a problem with «basic». _Wait, what?_

"What Edna means is that you actually look as handsome as usual, I think," Sorey added, and the Seraph could hear the smile in his voice.

Completely lost, he looked into the emeralds, and found himself surprised that he could see them so well, when everything he was seeing a minute ago was colorful stains. He looked at them with the greatest of curiosity, trying to understand what had just happened. His whole body was sore, tired, hurting a little bit; his mind was in kind of the same state.

So, when he felt tickles, his first reaction was to fight back by tickling Sorey's waist, and using the same old technic as always, pointing a direction to distract the former human and double the tickles. In a minute, they were both laughing their hearts out, just like children, just like they always did, no matter that everyone around them was looking at them, all with a different expression. It was only when they calmed down, though, that the brunette took the time to tell him:

"Mikleo.

\- Mh?

\- You felt it. All of them."

He blinked a few times, trying to figure out the meaning of the sentence - because he couldn't find one, right now.

"Felt what?"

He heard a amused sigh, and a second later, was tickled again. And suddenly, it all made sense. Amethysts widened in surprise and disbelief, as realization hit him:

"I can feel them... I can feel everything," and suddenly he was submerged with sensations, but he still squished his own flanks. "It's not..." He looked at his hands and, of course, they looked like hands again. "Wait... Does that mean I'm...?

\- An idiot, yes," the former Shepherd told him, "But an idiot freed from malevolence."

_Freed from malevolence..._ He couldn't believe it. His whole body felt _so light_ , as if something very strong, very heavy had been taken off it. In some way, actually, that was the case: he had been freed from the burden of his guilt, from the secrets he had been keeping, from every wrong choice he had been taking. And all of this, just by... Talking?

"What did you do?"

Sorey looked at him, a tender smile on his lips - but the sparkles in his eyes told him all about how happy and excited he actually was that whatever he had done had worked.

"I've been staying by your sides. Listening. Observing. Trying to find what I could do. I've been slowly absorbing the Malevolence, killing it the best way I could, step by step, fighting as much as I could so it didn't overcome me, too," he explained, quite calmly. "You know, I told you Maotelus knew I had something to do, and that we didn't talk. It was because he, too, could feel it. You know I followed you without daring approaching you for some time. But it allowed me to make sure it wasn't too late."

The former Shepherd closed his eyes, putting his forehead against the Water Seraph's, and his hands on his lover's cheeks.

"From the day I caught your hand on, I've been working on purifying you. But the problem was, I didn't know the cause of it - and without that knowledge, I could slower the process, but not completely save you. I tried asking questions about the wars because I feared it was the reason for the malevolence. I tried understanding, but nothing made any sense. I tried making you talk, but the only thing I managed to do was to make you confess your feelings - which I don't regret, but did not help in making any sort of progress in the purification, unfortunately."

Chills went down his spine, as he could feel light, smooth, nice caresses along his arms. It felt comforting, and nice, and he never wanted it to stop; but it probably would, now, because he needed to be honest both with himself, and the man he loved. And, actually, all of the friends who had only guessed what he had considered a _sin_ for so long.

"I'm sorry," he started, "I hadn't realized it. I should have known you'd find out earlier than the day I'd turn into a dragon, though. But I guess time made me a fool. It was like, if I didn't speak about it, then it wouldn't matter that it happened or not; as long as I remembered the pain of giving up, it was enough to me. I should have listened to the warnings around me, to those friends who had a clearer mind, and who were, all along, supporting me. I've learnt a lesson. In a terrible, but efficient way, to be honest," he confessed, chuckling, before turning towards the other seraphim. "Sorry, and thank you, everybody. I'm blessed to have such friends."

Even if they were the weirdest and the most embarrassing ones, hugging and congratulating him as if he had done something extraordinary (though conveying how he felt probably was something extraordinary, coming from him, from their point of view). He sighed, and gave in, answering Lailah's hug, trying not to get too embarrassed from having his face only a few centimeters away from her chest, and not die under the Glare of Death that Zaveid was adressing him the whole time the hug lasted. Or under the tip of Edna's umbrella, who was testing the resistance of his skin, tickling him instead.

"Such a shame you lost your abs," she commented in a haughty tone, though the relieved smile on her face soon welcomed a few tears.

"Don't cry, grandma," he kindly told her.

"I'm not crying!

\- Sure."

Instead of adding anything, he hugged her in silence, not commenting on her sobs; he knew the reason of their presence, and just waited for them to calm down.

"Idiot Meebo!" she commented. "Don't do that ever again!"

He nodded, placing a hand in her hair, to help her make sure he was really there, really him, and that she wouldn't have to see such a painful scene again.

"I won't, I promise."

She nodded, before punching him in the stomach, without restraining her strength. He was projected far away, and by the time he got up, the Earth Seraph had dryed her tears.

"You'd better, yeah," she affirmed, sniffing. "Or you're gonna regret it _so bad_ that you were as stupid as my brother."

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be glad or very scared of her, so he decided to be both, and remember that a small but strong seraph was ready to turn him into a pile of mashed meat if he was ever to be taken over by malevolence again. He got back on his feet, rubbing his lower back, happy to be feeling the pain of his own fall.

"Mikleo, how are you feeling?"

Lailah's voice still sounded kind of worried, but the Lady of the Lake always was a sort of mother worrying for her children, to him.

"Alive!" he answered, laughing his heart out. "I feel more alive than ever."

And light, and free, and happy. And himself. With the dream he had to pursue, with the knowledge he would never be alone, with the strength of a million men. His existence had a meaning, he could feel that again. While he returned towards Sorey, he could see the Shepherd, looking at all that, with a kind of surprise and fear in her eyes. He put his hand on his face, and sighed, before walking towards the young woman.

"Hey, Garnet, are you with us?"

He felt sorry, because he had shown her something she shouldn't have needed to know at all, considering that all root to Malevolence had been originally erased.

"What happened...?"

She didn't seem to shake, and that was a good point, because she'd have to keep her mind clear if she had to face that situation again one day. Mikleo glanced at Alisha, who nodded in understanding, to which he answered by a thankful smile. Her own experience, after all, probably had helped her deal with the situation.

"It is something that can happen, if one lets malevolence in," she explained. "When you get tainted by it, it's very difficult to get rid of it. Actually, the Shepherd and the ones bound to them by contract are the only ones who can make it disappear.

\- «The ones bound to the Shepherd by contract»?" Garnet parroted, "What does that mean?"

It felt nostalgic, seeing her wonder so many things. As if they were back in the past; the protagonists were just different. Besides, themselves hadn't met a dragon so early in their journey.

"Just like you and I are bound by a contract so we can purify the malevolence of this world, you can - and will need to - make other type of contracts, with all kind of people. But it is a little to early to talk about that; don't worry, we'll get there, in time."

The Shepherd nodded, before turning her gaze back to Mikleo, looking in his eyes, to try and find answers to all the questions that certainly filled her head. He wanted to let her enough time to think clearly about those, and he'd had better had her wonder about these one by one instead. So, he didn't wait for her her to ask, because she probably wouldn't find the right way to ask.

"I'm sorry for what you had to see," he apologized. "But this is what it is. This is the truth of malevolence - one of them, to be honest."

He didn't feel proud of telling her about it so early, but if he didn't, who knew what could happen?

"I... Understand," she finally replied, after pondering for a while. "Well, maybe not everything, but I understand what you are trying to say, I think. I believe this will help me understand better."

He nodded, a bit relieved.

"I honestly think you will become a great Shepherd, Garnet. And the seraph by your side is someone trustworthy. Be strong, both of you, and take care of each other."

The two women looked at each other, nodding in unison.

"Thank you," Garnet appreciated, bowing in front of him. "We will not forget those words, and those events. Now that you are free, please, take care of you," she pryed, before bowing one last time.

The new Shepherd saluted everyone one last time, before departing, for good, this time, letting him join his friends again. He noticed they were calmly explaining the situation to the princess, who seemed to find it all quite funny, despite the fear, the confessions, everything that could have happened.

"I've read the books, you know?" she explained. "The ones about our countries, the ones that talked about the legends. I was a real bookworm, as a child," she explained. "It is gonna be alright. She can do this," she affirmed, so sure of it that nobody dared doubting it. "We should all head home, now," she explained, "people are about to start getting up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops :D  
> I can't say I didn't do it in purpose because this definitely was done in purpose. :3  
> Thank you for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is the last chapter of Under the Veil, until the Epilogue, next week. I hope you enjoyed those two as much as I did when writing them! Thanks for your continuous support!

"Sorey, there is something I need to tell you," Mikleo admitted, as they were about to enter the forest. "Do you remember what happened when we fought against Heldalf?"

The memory had never, ever left his mind; and even though he had ended up feeling sure that they had made the right choice, that day, that it was the only way they could save him, it still was the loss of the one parent that had raised them.

"Not clearly," Sorey explained. "But I think I know where you're going."

The brunette closed his eyes, placing a hand on his own heart.

"There's something about Gramps. I don't know why exactly, but I knew he suffered. A lot."

The Water Seraph lowered his gaze. At least he remembered that, which was, in a way, a relief - it would make the explanations less hard, and would be easier for Sorey to take it, too.

"I also know we saved him. I know there's nothing to fear for him anymore. I just don't remember how, or why."

Mikleo watched him, in silence, for a few seconds, before finally stepping in the woods that leaded to Elysia, glad to feel the spell that hid their village was still there. Kyme had managed to place a seal that made any curious and unauthorized person unable to access the village - any path they'd take would lead them back to the Ladylake area; which was why they had to walk home.

"Understood," he stated. "That is already more than I hoped for."

Now, he still needed to lead Sorey to Gramps's grave, before they met the others. No matter how much he loved them, he didn't want to take the risk of one of them making a mistake and saying something about Gramps before Sorey was aware of everything.

"I can't wait to meet everyone," the brunette admitted, letting Mikleo know he sounded way calmer than he actually was.

"I know," he stated. "They're gonna be surprised when they see your face."

Sorey laughed, finding his path quite easily in the forest, walking just a little bit faster than him - most certainly too excited of meeting his family. Until a very particular point, where he kept going on, before finding himself facing Mikleo, who had simply stopped there, observing him.

The former Shepherd tried again, under the Water Seraph's amused gaze, even though he couldn't help being a little worried that the barrier didn't want to let one of Elysia's inhabitants go through it.

"...What's this?" the brunette finally blurted out, looking lost.

"Can't you feel it?"

Camlaan was still very close to the sacred village, even though it wasn't possible to get there through it anymore, so the Water Seraph believe Sorey had an idea of how Kyme's domain felt like, especially when he was able to feel it even as a human. The two emeralds closed, letting the former human feel everything around him and remember every detail of the forest as it was at the time.

"The domain..."

He sounded calmer, and actually happy.

"It feels so warm."

Mikleo nodded, and offered his hand to his lover, so he could guide him through the domain. He knew that way, he could make an exception; but he also knew that he would need to talk to the village chief so Sorey could enter Elysia as he pleased. They kept walking through the forest, for hours and hours, and the night had been up for hours before they finally decided to stop and rest. They didn't need much, except for a camp fire; they had already prepared food, and knew they would arrive to their hometown in a very short time.

The last time he had walked through the forest, though, Mikleo hadn't had time to sleep: hellions were still around, and he had to fight them, all alone. It was alright, considering he originally didn't need any of those, yet his body being used to live the same way as a human's was very happy that Kyme prepared him a Mabo Curry as soon as he had arrived.

"I hope they won't be too angry against me," Mikleo admitted, looking at his rice ball. "The last time I came, I was already starting to get tainted. And even if they didn't say a word about it, the way they looked at me clearly told me I'd better not come back," he explained, before taking a bite.

"You don't have to worry," Sorey replied, moving hair away from his face. "You're safe, now. They might judge quite easily, but you're still a member of the family. Besides, they'd have no reason to reject you, now."

He nodded, before taking the last bite of his rice ball. Certainly, this was a more correct way to look at things than his, so he decided to adopt it. Yes. They were his family. Parents that wanted to protect their children from seeing the horrors malevolence could cause; besides, in the sacred place that was Elysia, the Evil was to be fought rather than welcomed. He closed his eyes, enjoying the nice camp fire Sorey had lightened, before opening them so he could pour both of them a cup of tea.

In the middle of the night, silence was something only one who wasn't listening could find. Insects and all kind of night animals were being active, and even though sleeping in each other's arms was nice, the two seraphim still decided to take turns in sleeping and checking the environs. Letting the Light Seraph sleep first, Mikleo stayed awake, fascinated by the color of the campfire, and its movements - but soon his eyes started hurting, and he knew he'd fall asleep if he didn't move.

So, instead, he started walking around, listening to every sound he heard, watching every step he made in case he'd find something around (Sorey and him had always been convinced there was _more_ than just Mabinogio ruins around Elysia, and that fact had never really left him, even after all these years); before he found a silhouette walking. On his guards, he materialized his weapon, ready to defend himself.

But as the person approached him, he blinked in surprise, noticing it actually was a seraph, and that he looked like a very young child. Mikleo wanted to ask if he was lost, but the aura that hit him left him speechless: whoever that seraph was, his power was immense.

"Oh... Hello," the seraph addressed him.

It took a whole minute before Mikleo managed to understand he was the one being talked to, and that he was supposed to answer.

"Hello," he answered, still too struck by how powerful the seraph was to actually manage to say anything more.

The unknown child came closer; close enough for Mikleo to see his traits, and look at his eyes. That very second, he understood that he had been wrong: he wasn't looking at a child, but at someone way older than he was. Maybe as old as Edna, maybe even older than her. That simple look was enough to tell him how much the seraph had seen.

"Oh, you must be Mikleo!" he suddenly exclaimed, sparkles in his eyes, and a smile in his voice, making the Water Seraph jump.

_Who the hell is this kid?_ he couldn't help but wonder, half fascinated, half terrified.

"How do you know my name?

\- Sorey!" the answer was. "He told me, showed me so much about you! He was eager to find you again," the smaller seraph stated, looking overjoyed.

_What?_ He couldn't understand a word of what the older seraph was saying, even though he seemed to know so much. That actually was a bit frightening; he stayed on his guards, not making a move towards the campfire, just in case.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

He saw the smaller seraph's eyes widen, and his mouth open in surprise; but soon, the stranger looked down, before he apologized:

"I'm sorry I had to keep him away from you, all these years. In exchange, I did what I could to allow him to live by your sides again, for longer than he was supposed to if he had stayed a human."

He bowed before Mikleo, adding:

"Maybe I should have thought it a little further through, though. I'm sorry," he apologized.

And suddenly, his power, and his words, all made sense. He probably should have recognized him at first glance, if all representations weren't of the dragon he had left Sorey with, centuries earlier.

"Are you... Maotelus?"

He couldn't believe it. Was the seraph he had read about again and again in the books he had borrowed Gramps that child-like one?

"I'd prefer if you'd call me Laphicet, for now," the seraph admitted, a sad smile on his lips.

It was all too surreal, as if he was in another world - or maybe was he just dreaming? That could be a possibility, right?

"«Laphicet»?" he parroted, unsure. "Is that your true name?"

The seraph looked at him, surprised, before smiling, and shaking his head.

"No, it's not. But it the name people dear to me gave me when we—..."

He suddenly interrupted, sadness in his eyes, before he took a long breathe. He looked at Mikleo's eyes for a long time, before smiling again.

"Anyway, it looks like you found each other. I'm glad, very glad. We might meet again someday, Mikleo. In the meantime, take care of you."

With the assurance of man who knew his exact way, Laphicet started walking away, in the direction of the magic barrier. Mikleo watched him do so, still a little bit shaken by this meeting - before he realized:

"But, what about Sorey? He's there, don't you want to talk with him?"

The small silhouette stopped, taking his time to answer:

"I've spent enough time by his sides, already, don't you think? Besides, I want to see what the world looks like, now that my rampaging it has finally been put to an end."

Then, he turned his back again, disappearing in the darkness of the night. The Water Seraph stayed a long while, there, trying to wake up, or at least to understand if it was a dream or not. But nothing happened, until he walked back to the place Sorey was peacefully sleep-talking about all the food he missed and wanted to eat again. Smiling, Mikleo promised him he'd prepare those, keeping on watching over him until they switched turns.

When the morning rose and the sun woke him up, Mikleo was pretty sure all that had happened during the night was just a dream; yet he couldn't help but frown and wonder. But Maotelus couldn't that seraph, could he? He stayed silent a moment, only noticing they had left the forest when Sorey called his name. He jumped in surprise, blinking at the blinding light of the sun all around him.

"Oh... We're almost there," he noticed, before the Light Seraph sighed, stopped, and turned towards him:

"Mikleo... Did something happen? You've been lost in your thoughts since you woke up. I'm pretty sure you haven't heard a word I said while we were walking."

_Oh. He was talking?_ That was weird, and rare, because Mikleo _always_ noticed when Sorey talked. He loved it, even when it was to say stupid things, it helped calming his heart. It was nice and comforting, cosy, even, when the two of them were alone, together, reading books at home.

"Ah, sorry. I don't know if it was a dream or not, actually," he sighed. "But Sorey, do you know a seraph, a little shorter than Edna's size, called «Laphicet»?"

Suddenly, his lover's eyes sparkled. _Okay, that probably wasn't a dream, then._

"You met Laphicet?! I'm so happy, he was eager to meet you! ...Well I probably let him see a lot about you," the former Shepherd apologized, rubbing his neck. "Sorry..."

But Mikleo shook his head. In his own way, he had done everything to show the world everything he could about that light in Camlaan, the one that was healing the planet, slowly, but surely. Had cameras existed at the time, he would have taken thousands of photographs and showed them to the world. So, instead, he had drawn pictures; yet, people didn't really care, and had stopped looking at those, to illustrate the Shepherd the way they thought he looked like - mostly, absolutely not like Sorey. They had only kept the eyes color (but never painted it right, to his greatest sadness: the Light Seraph had eyes so bright, so full of life, and in such a green that nobody ever got it right), the hair color (not even all the time), the Celestial Records (at least they got that part right), and sometimes, the white dragon (whose design was random).

Yet, right this moment, he was glad that they all got it wrong, because Sorey wouldn't have liked being too surrounded by strangers, and being asked thousands of questions about his path as a shepherd; especially when in his head, a few weeks ago, he had just defeated Heldalf.

"Say," the Water Seraph asked, stopping just before the village entrance. "Why does he use a different name, now?"

There was a sigh, and Mikleo knew they still had a lot of things to tell each other. Fortunately, they had all the time in the world, for that.

"Because he wants to live his life at his own pace, and his own pace doesn't include curious people worshipping him. Besides, «Maotelus» had brought dread upon that world, not so long ago, remember?"

He closed his eyes, and nodded. Yes, he did remember. He could remember that time way more clearly than anything else in his life.

"I see."

He took a look at Sorey, before realizing something: true names were an important part of a seraph's being, yet Sorey still seemed to only go by "Sorey", the name Gramps had given him. But, Mikleo knew that perfectly, because he used to wonder about it when he was a child: that wasn't a true name. It wasn't even from the ancient language.

"Sorey," he called, still not going forwards. "You still don't have a true name, am I right?"

The awkward laugh he could hear was enough of an answer, and in a way, he was relieved. After all, he couldn't help but hope that...

"Please, create me one. I know that if it's you, it's gonna be perfect."

The older seraph stopped even breathing for a second, before coughing to try and hide how happy he was that his hope had turned true.

"Count on me," he accepted, already thinking about it.

The brunette nodded, before leading him where the mounds were. He probably wanted to visit Mason first; which would probably help, even though he neede to talk to him, first.

"Sorey... Before we go, I want you to understand something."

He wanted to tell him, to try and make it less hard, but he received a sad smile as sole response.

"I know," he admitted. "You already told me.

\- I did?

\- When you asked me if I remembered what happened to Gramps, even though I only remember of a few images. It was easy to understand, Mikleo. I'm bad at lying and hiding things, but so are you."

He could only plead guilty, this time, and nodded. At least, he was freed from a complicated duty.

Still, his heart was heavy when he approached the mound, taking place next to Sorey. Looking at the small memorial, he closed his eyes, sighing.

"What do you remember?" he asked, knowing the question was risky; he wanted to explain the former human what he had missed.

"I remember the village being empty, after Heldalf had headed towards Camlaan. I remember the relief of finding everyone at Gramps', except him. And then... It's all blurry. I know he was with Heldalf, but how? Why? How is that even possible?"

The blue-haired seraph sighed, placing a hand on the mound. He received an electric choc, that ended in a pained swearing.

"He was absorbed by the Lord of Calamity," he explained, shaking his hand to make the pain go away. "So, you and I..."

He lowered his gaze, silently apologizing, for a different reason than usual. The scene stayed silent for a moment, until the former Shepherd asked:

"We had no other choice, right?"

He silentely nodded, looking at his hands. He remembered the terrifying power their ennemy had been granted, how they had to try again and again, how desperate they were. How they had taken the decision together, armatized, and...

"I believe we did the right thing."

There was a relieved, almost happy sigh, before he looked at his own hands. He had been luckier than Gramps, and he was glad for that.

"Thank you," he almost whispered.

"For what?

\- Finding the right words. Allowing me to stay myself. Releasing me from the curse I had bestowed upon myself." He smiled. "Gramps would be mad at me.

\- He would have taken care of you," Sorey corrected. "And tried to understand why you would feel that way, and why you wanted to punish yourself. He would have talked to you so you could slowly change your perception of the world. And he would be proud of you, Mikleo. Because you did it.

\- I did what?

\- You changed your point of view. You kept your promise, and brought me back here, in Elysia. What happened matters, but what is going to happen matters more."

There was a very nice feeling to those words, and he couldn't help but feel glad. His waiting hadn't been senseless, his efforts hadn't been useless. Before he could even get aware of it, his lips were turning into a bright smile, and he nodded. _What's going to happen matters more... That's right_. That was why it was worth waiting for him to wake up, or to get ready for ruins exploration. Because no matter what had happened before, they were still about to realize their dream. Together.

"We should get in the village, then," he suggested. "Everybody's waiting for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! See you next week!


	17. Chapter 17

"How do you feel?"

In the dark of the night, Sorey had been watching the stars in silence, on the highest point of the village: the roof of Gramps' house.

"Alive," he answered, patting the ground next to him to let Mikleo sit by his sides.

Once the seraph was next to him, he placed an arm around his waist. They had always had a very tactile relationship, but since he had come back to his senses, they all felt ten times stronger than he remembered, and feeling Mikleo's clothes, skin, body under his fingers was the sensation he loved the most. It made him feel home, as much as hearing his voice or looking into his eyes did. But it also was his favorite comfort, that he was back, and that no matter how far they would be from one another, or how long they would be separated, in the end, they were bound to come back next to each other's sides.

"Alive... Yeah."

The Water Seraph seemed happy, and Sorey couldn't help looking at the beauty of his pale skin under the moonlight, or its reflection on Mikleo's hair, that made it look surreal - it already was, from the humans' point of view, but nobody knew how beautiful it could actually look. And somewhere, even though he wanted to show the world how beautiful was every single detail of his lover, that night, he was still glad there were details he was the only one to see.

"I'm glad everyone is alright," he happily stated. "I'm happy they remember me."

The amethyst-like eyes widened for a second, before his childhood friend burst in laughter - and what a laughter! It resounded in all his body, making him feel warm and happy, almost laughing, too. Mikleo took a while before he calmed, and that was okay: he got to hear him laugh a little longer.

"Why would they even forget you? You weren't really discreet, you know? There was a neverending, giant ray of light that everyone could see, coming from the place you were sleeping in."

The young man remembered having seen it on a few pictures, during their trip back to Elysia, but he never had got to ask why it was there, or where it was supposed to be, considering he had never seen it. Now he had his answer: the light was both himself and Maotelus. He looked at his hand, at the man he loved so much, at the moonlight.

"I prefer the way I'm looking like right now," he commented, before thinking about it a little further: "I'm glad I came back. I didn't care seeing the result of my efforts, as long as I knew it was happening," he explained, "but seeing seraphim and humans living in harmony, helping each other makes me happy."

It also meant that even if Gramps had foreseen their destinies, they still had managed to forge those the way they wanted. To him, that was hope for all living creatures, that no matter what happened, they could get up again, and again. He rested his head on the Water Seraph's shoulder, his heart dancing in happiness, when a voice softly asked them:

"You're gonna leave again soon, aren't you?"

It was Kyme, gentle and open as ever, offering each of them a drink they accepted.

"We are," Mikleo answered first.

"But we'll come back," he added. "Someday."

The village chief nodded, looking at the Elysians, who were enjoying the music, drinks and food. He had been surprised that human technology had reached that place, yet he couldn't see it as anything else than a progress.

"We all understand," Kyme agreed. "We just want you to remember that, whatever happens, the two of you are an important part of our family, here, in Elysia. We will keep waiting for you, and worry for you when you're not there, and hope we get good news from time to time. No matter what happens, no matter how far, and for how long you go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is how our story ends. Thank you for all your support and for following until the end! 
> 
> See you again someday on the Tales fandom, in the meantime you can check my other works if you're interested!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it so far!


End file.
